Smart materials, also known as intelligent or responsive materials, are designed materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli. These stimuli can include stress, moisture, electric or magnetic fields, light, temperature, pH, or chemical compounds. Smart materials are the basis of many applications, including sensors and actuators, or artificial muscles, particularly as electroactive polymers (EAPs) .
Smart materials have properties that react to changes in their environment. This means that one of their properties can be changed by an external condition, such as temperature, light, pressure, electricity, voltage, pH, or chemical compounds. This change is reversible and can be repeated many times. There are different types of smart materials, and new ones are being developed thanks to investment in research and development. Some examples of smart materials include:
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Piezoelectric materials: These materials can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. For example, they change their shape in response to an electrical impulse or produce an electrical charge in response to mechanical stress.
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Shape memory materials: These materials can "remember" their original shape and return to it when heated or exposed to a certain stimulus.
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Self-healing materials: These materials can repair themselves when damaged, for example, by filling in cracks or holes.
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Thermochromic materials: These materials change color in response to changes in temperature.
Smart materials have many potential applications, including sportswear with ventilation valves that react to temperature and humidity, buildings that adapt to atmospheric conditions such as wind, heat, or rain, or drugs that are released into the bloodstream as soon as a viral infection is detected.
