What are Smart Materials?
Smart materials are specialty building materials whose properties tend to vary when subjected to external stimuli such as stress, temperature, moisture, pH, and magnetic field. These materials are called smart materials because of the change inherent in them, and not due to an external force. Smart materials have been on the market for many years and serve a large number of end-use applications including construction, transport, medical, and leisure. Smart materials could be classified into many types:
Increasing Demand from Military Aerospace Sector
The demand for smart materials is being consistently driven by the growing need for such materials from the Military Aerospace sector. Materials with enhanced functional properties such as shape memory, electrochromism and piezoelectricity, are gaining demand in the Automotive and Aerospace industries.
Additionally, the use of shape memory alloy technology in propulsion systems of fixed-wing aircrafts and robocrafts, and also in the elimination of low-shock release in the Spacecraft industry, has provided a huge boost to the Smart Materials market globally.
Rising Demand from Construction Industry
The application of smart materials mostly falls into three categories: Structural Health Monitoring, Vibration Control, and Environmental Control. Structural health monitoring is the category in the Construction sector, wherein smart materials find their most widespread applications. The main focus of structural health monitoring lies in the monitoring of loads and detection of damage to structures.
Additionally, the trend towards longer and more slender cables has further given rise to the demand for smart materials used in structural monitoring and vibration control. North America has the highest level of activity involving structural health monitoring.
In the US, optical fiber grating systems are used to monitor traffic and composite repair monitoring. Additionally, embedded and surface-mounted MEMS sensors are used to monitor concrete and metal structures.
Moreover, there is a growing inclination towards wind-induced vibration with more focus on cable structures in bridges worldwide. This has resulted in the increase in demand for magnetostrictive materials and magneto-rheological fluids.
High Cost of Smart Materials
Smart materials are highly efficient materials. However, their performance comes at high costs associated with the high level of R&D involved. End-users look for more affordable and low-cost materials with considerable efficiency.
Therefore, the importance of smart materials diminishes as consumers demand more affordable options. Smart labels and tags used in Smart Packaging sector are expensive; as a result, the challenge to suppliers in food and agriculture lies in lowering the costs of smart labels and widening their range to have as much disposability as the bar codes.
Even the Construction sector is cost-intensive and builders always look for efficient as well as low-cost options while deciding on building materials. In the Automotive industry, active suspension systems incorporating smart materials are gaining demand; however, the growth in demand is being hindered by cost and availability. Manufacturers are expected to pursue further innovation to bring about widespread use of the technology.
Smart Packaging to the Rescue
Smart packaging is a growing trend and is picking up a lot of attention in many regions of the world on account of its sustainability and enhanced safety. Smart packaging could generally be classified into two categories: Active and Intelligent.
- Active packs respond immediately to changes in the external environment, and the response is triggered by changes such as heat, light or changes in pressure. Once active, the system keeps on working until it expires. Active packs improve the performance and convenience of the consumer, which aligns with the current lifestyle of consumers.
- Intelligent packaging is the category of smart packaging in which the function is dependent on changing external or internal conditions, and it stops or starts working based on those conditions.
With the rise in the aging population, smart packaging is gaining ground in the market, due to the high convenience offered by this technology. In the near future, focus is expected to be on better design and optimum use of materials to produce packages that could be easier to open.
