Smart Materials: Emerging Markets for Intelligent Gels; Ceramics; Alloys; and Polymers. 2nd Edition. Part 2

SUMMARY

Research Overview

Smart Materials Promise to Boost Revenues and Profits

Business and technical communities are recognizing smart materials as apromising way to boost revenues and profits. They add significant value tomaterials, technologies and end products and offer considerable short-termbusiness potential across a range of markets from medical devices toautomobiles. Materials such as smart memory polymers (SMPs) are capable ofstretching to eight times their original length. Such an elastic material mightreplace natural rubber and synthetic elastomers, which are both expensive anddifficult to recycle. Nanotubes have the ability to absorb great strain. Inexperiments, a triangular pack of single-walled nanotubes has endured 100 timesthat of steel at one-sixth its weight.

Smart Materials Applications Are Many and Potentially Lucrative

Smart materials lend themselves to an abundance of uses. Markets andtechnologies for smart materials are young and remain largely unexplored, andthere are only a few marketable products. However, researchers are constantlyfinding combinations of technologies to increase avenues for commercialization.

The existing applications are numerous and diverse. Examples includecardiovascular stents, electrochromatic ski goggles and night vision goggles,sensors for smart missiles, self-dimmable automotive sunroofs, and flat panelinformation displays for use in computers, televisions, telephones, and otherelectronic instruments.

Don't be Broadsided, Track This Emerging Technology

Some scientists predict that within a few decades, smart actuators will beembedded into house walls or the interiors of car to achieve built-in surroundsound from ultra-high-fidelity stereo speakers. These actuators could expand andcontract in thousandths of a second to applied voltage. Other futureapplications for such smart materials include actuators that control chatter inprecision machine tools; improved robotic parts that move faster and withgreater accuracy; smaller microelectronic circuits in machines ranging fromcomputers to photolithography printers; and sensors that monitor the structuralintegrity of bridges and buildings.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary

A. Overview and Perspective

1. Smart Materials

2. Phase Transformation

3. Scope and Methodology

B. Smart Systems

1. Smart Systems

2. The Evolution of Smart Materials

3. Types of Smart Materials

2. Introduction

A. A Technology Revolution

1. An Enabling Technology

2. The Need for Smart Materials

B. Outlook and Challenges

1. Outlook and Emerging Areas of Research

2. Challenges and Issues Facing Applications

3. Thermoresponsive Materials

A. Introduction

1. Shape Memory Alloys

2. History of Shape Memory Alloys

3. Martensitic Transformation

4. Thermomechanical Materials

B. Commercial Systems

1. Commercial Systems

2. Nickel-Titanium Alloys

3. Copper-Base Alloys

4. Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys

C. Applications

1. Free Recovery

2. Exerting Force

3. Superelastic Properties

4. Medical

D. Shape Memory Polymers

1. History of Shape Memory Plastics

2. Crosslinking

3. Biodegradability

4. Phase Transition

5. Applications

4. Electrochromic Materials

A. Introduction

1. Electrochromism

2. Designing Electrochromic Systems

B. Smart Windows and Systems

1. Self-Powered Windows

2. Glazing

C. Applications

1. Applications of Electrochromic Materials

2. Glazing Issues

3. Nanocrystals

5. Fullerenes

A. Introduction

1. Pure Crystalline Carbon

2. Nanotubes

B. Nanotube Manufacture

1. Nanotube Manufacture

2. The Route toward Applications

3. Carbon Nanotube Composites

4. Smart Nanotubes

5. Damping Properties

6. Catalytic Properties

6. Active Research Groups

A. Research Institutions

1. Catholic University of Leuven

2. Chinese University of Hong Kong

3. Cranfield University

4. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

5. Fraunhofer Institute

6. Georgia Insitute of Technology

7. Ghent University

8. Helsinki University of Technology

9. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science

10. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

11. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

12. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

13. Moscow Aviation Institute

14. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

15. National Institute of Chemistry

16. National Renewable Energy Laboratory

17. New York University

18. Northwestern University

19. Oak Ridge National Laboratory

20. Ohio State University

21. Oulu University Central Hospital

22. Pacific Northwest Laboratory

23. Ruhr University

24. Russian Academy of Sciences

25. Sandia National Laboratories

26. Siberian Research Institute

27. Technical University of Berlin

28. Texas A&M University

29. US Army

30. University of California at Riverside

31. University of California at San Diego

32. University of Cambridge

33. University of Chicago

34. University of Delaware

35. University of Pittsburg

36. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

37. University of Texas at Dallas

38. University of Tokyo

39. University of Wisconsin

40. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

B. Companies

1. CarboLex Inc.

2. Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc.

3. D'Appolonia SpA

4. Johnson Matthey Biomaterials

5. Metatech Co. Ltd

6. Mitsubishi International Corp.

7. mnemoScience GmbH

8. Research Frontiers Inc.

9. Sage Electrochromics Inc.

10. Sustainable Technologies International Pty Ltd.

7. Awards; Patents; and Bibliography

A. Smart Materials; Technical Insights' 2002 Science and Technology Awards

1. Technology Innovation: Research Frontiers Inc.

2. Technology Leadership: Johnson Matthey BioMaterials

B. Patents and Bibliography

1. Patents

2. Bibliography