Smart Materials Group at the National Institute of Applied Science Recent Data and Trends

Abstract

During the last decade constant improvements have been made in materials and structures design and control. But now some performance objectives in particular in the field of the reliability cannot be achieved using classical technologies and require the use of the 'smart materials concept'. Periodical maintenance NDT based inspections are today of a general acceptance for almost all complex technological structures. Nevertheless the idea that the integrated and continuous sensing techniques can optimize the operating conditions is now in progress. Different aspects of this evolution towards the desirable continuous health monitoring are discussed in relation with the smart materials concept through this non exhaustive review of some realisations or experiences. In the domain of sensitive materials, passive techniques such as Barkhausen effect, thermoelectric power, electrical impedance monitoring, acoustic emission, and active piezoelectric implant based methods, are briefly presented. Moreover, taking into account the growing demand in the field of actuators and artificial muscles for robotic and biomimetic devices, shape memory alloys and electroactive polymers are in progress. Finally the 'self healing' concept will be presented in the case of one ceramicceramic composite.

Synthesis and applications of multifunctional composite nanomaterials

“…Multifunctional nanocomposites combining the merits of two or more base materials have received a great deal of attention due to their synergy or enhanced properties compared to their base counterparts (Akbulut et al 2009;Gobin et al 2004;Yang and Ko 2008). In the realm of multifunctional nanomaterials, considerable effort has been centered on the noble metal-based systems by immobilizing noble metal onto diverse inorganic/organic supports to obtain the desired functional nanomaterials.…”