A spectrally adaptive composite material comprising: at least one size-variable electrically active area having a surface area and a thickness, and having a variable transmittance, reflectance, and/or absorptance in at least a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum comprising: an elastically deformable substrate, wherein the elastically deformable substrate is dielectric, is transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and has an unrelaxed state wherein the elastically deformable substrate is elastically deformed beyond a relaxed state, and a first texturizing layer disposed on a first side of the elastically deformable substrate, wherein the first texturizing layer is proton or ion-conducting so as to be capable of acting as a top electrode, and transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; and a second texturizing layer disposed on a second side of the elastically deformable substrate, wherein the second texturizing layer is proton or ion conducting so as to be capable of acting as a bottom electrode, and is transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; wherein at least when the elastically deformable substrate is in the relaxed state at least the first texturizing layer forms a plurality of geometrically reconfigurable microstructures with at least one size scale in a 10 nm to 100 μm range in the at least one size-variable electrically active area and in the unrelaxed state the geometry or morphology of its microstructures is altered; wherein, when the elastically deformable substrate is in the relaxed state, the surface area is smaller and the thickness is larger when the elastically deformable substrate is in the unrelaxed state; and wherein the variable transmittance, reflectance, and/or absorptance of the at least one size-variable electrically active area within at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum are altered by the elastic deformation of the elastically deformable substrate into and out of the relaxed state. an elastically deformable substrate, wherein the elastically deformable substrate is dielectric, is transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and has an unrelaxed state wherein the elastically deformable substrate is elastically deformed beyond a relaxed state, and a first texturizing layer disposed on a first side of the elastically deformable substrate, wherein the first texturizing layer is proton or ion-conducting so as to be capable of acting as a top electrode, and transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; and a second texturizing layer disposed on a second side of the elastically deformable substrate, wherein the second texturizing layer is proton or ion conducting so as to be capable of acting as a bottom electrode, and is transparent in at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; wherein at least when the elastically deformable substrate is in the relaxed state at least the first texturizing layer forms a plurality of geometrically reconfigurable microstructures with at least one size scale in a 10 nm to 100 μm range in the at least one size-variable electrically active area and in the unrelaxed state the geometry or morphology of its microstructures is altered; wherein, when the elastically deformable substrate is in the relaxed state, the surface area is smaller and the thickness is larger when the elastically deformable substrate is in the unrelaxed state; and wherein the variable transmittance, reflectance, and/or absorptance of the at least one size-variable electrically active area within at least the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum are altered by the elastic deformation of the elastically deformable substrate into and out of the relaxed state.