Laboratorio experimental

apuntes sobre materiales inteligentes

Intelligent Materials According to Bullinger (2007, p. 36), intelligent (or smart) materials have the capability to react to stimuli from the environment or changes there and to adapt their functionality respectively. This is either directly possible or achieved through combining sensory materials with actuating materials and a control unit. The resulting combination is named composite material and has special properties. Until now intelligent materials can be classified – according to the main effect they use or expose – in at least five groups: • with shape memory; • with piezoelectric effect; • with electrostriction or magnetostriction; • using electro-rheology and magneto-rheology; • using chromogenic effect. Speculating on further development, one could expect materials with programmable (or computer-controlled) behaviour (e.g., remote form giving?) in the (near) future.