C2aL10 Smart Materials

Key Words

Electroluminescent - material that gives out light when electricity passes through it.

Environment - our surroundings.

Photochromic - material that changes colour in response to light levels.

Property - feature of a material.

Respond - things that do something when something else changes.

Reversible - can be changed back.

Smart material - material that has a property that changes as something else changes.

Thermochromatic - material whose colour changes as the temperature changes

Grade E

Smart materials respond to changes in the environment by changing properties.  The changes are reversible.  Examples include:

• Photochromic materials that change colour as light level changes (some sun glasses have this property).
• Shape memory alloys.

Grade C

Other environment changes include:

• Temperature - thermochromatic pigments change colour with higher temperatures (children's drinking mugs change colour from red to yellow if the liquid is too hot).
• Electric fields and magnetic fields.
• Changes in humidity (moisture levels).

Electroluminescent materials emit light of different wavelengths when an AC electric current passes through them.  They produce light with little heat, and are often flexible.

Grade A

Smart materials may offer solutions to medical and military problems.