Teaching a material to be adaptive

Evolution in time-varying environments naturally leads to adaptable biological systems that can easily switch functionalities. Advances in the synthesis of environmentally-responsive materials therefore open up the possibility of creating a wide range of synthetic materials which can also learn to be adaptable. By periodically switching targets in a given design algorithm, we can teach a material to perform distinct, diametrically-opposed functionalities with minimal changes in design parameters. We exhibit this learning strategy for adaptability in two simulated settings: elastic networks that are designed to switch deformation modes with minimal bond changes; and heteropolymers whose folding pathway selections are controlled by a minimal set of residue interactions.