Polychromatic composite films for adaptive camouflage

Having the correct camouflage for the current surroundings increases the safety of personnel and can provide a tactical advantage. However, theatres of war are rarely homogeneous and this leads to a compromise in order for the pattern to work in different subsets. In this work we take inspiration from the photonic structures found in insects to produce elastomeric composite materials with embedded photonic crystals that suggest a material solution for an adaptive camouflage system. Colour change for these materials is effected through mechanical straining of the produced composite. The procedure used to make these materials is detailed and preliminary results from testing of the mechanical and optical properties that these materials exhibit is presented.