Educator Guide: Coating Provides Infrared Camouflage

When heated from about 100° to 140° Celsius (left to right), a normal material (top) radiates more brightly, and an infrared camera registers a higher temperature (brighter colors). But a special coating (bottom) fools the camera into detecting little temperature change.
Courtesy of Patrick Roney, Alireza Shahsafi and Mikhail Kats
About this guide
This guide, based on the Science News article “Coating provides infrared camouflage,” asks students to explore the physics and potential technological applications of a material, discuss the various types of electromagnetic radiation, analyze infrared images and research how infrared imaging is used across a range of fields.
This Guide Includes:
Exploring electromagnetic radiation
Seeing in infrared
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