Smart material

Smart materials are materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli, such as stress, temperature, moisture, pH, electric or magnetic fields.

There are a number of types of smart material, some of which are already common. Some examples are as following:
* Piezoelectric materials are materials that produce a voltage when stress is applied. Since this effect also applies in the reverse manner, a voltage across the sample will produce stress within the sample. Suitably designed structures made from these materials can therefore be made that bend, expand or contract when a voltage is applied.
* Shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers are Thermoresponsive materials where deformation can be induced and recovered through temperature changes.
* Magnetic shape memory alloys are materials that change their shape in response to a significant change in the magnetic field.
* pH-sensitive polymers are materials which swell/collapse when the pH of the surrounding media changes.
* Temperature-responsive polymers are materials which undergo changes upon temperature.
* Halochromic materials are commonly materials that change their colour as a result of changing acidity. One suggested application is for paints that can change colour to indicate corrosion in the metal underneath them.
* Chromogenic systems change colour in response to electrical, optical or thermal changes. These include electrochromic materials, which change their colour or opacity on the application of a voltage (e.g. liquid crystal displays), thermochromic materials change in color depending on their temperature, and photochromic materials, which change colour in response to light - for example, light sensitive sunglasses that darken when exposed to bright sunlight.
* Non-Newtonian fluid is a liquid which changes its viscosity in response to an applied shear rate. In other words the liquid will change its viscosity in response to some sort of force or pressure. One good example of this is Oobleck, a fluid that seems to temporarily turn into a solid when a force is applied quickly. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw& Oobleck in a Spanish Show] ] Another good example is Custard, as long as it is starch based.

References

External links

* [http://www.cimss.vt.edu Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures] , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
* [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~database/MEMS/sma_mems/smrt.html Smart Materials]
* [http://www.fzu.cz/departments/metals/sma/ Institute of Physics of the ASCR (CZ)]