A chameleon coating is a wear control coating engineered to perform well in all environments. Chameleon coatings are often multilayer coatings but can also be composite coatings using a mixture of phases to provide good performance in various conditions.
Chameleon coatings are often used on hypersonic and reusable launch vehicles that require lubrication in ambient atmosphere, vacuum (space), and during re-entry (high temperature). A typical multilayer coating may use a molybdenum disulfide or DLC for low friction at ambient conditions. A layer of teflon may be used for vacuum service along with a silver or gold containing layer for high temperature lubricity.