5^th World Congress on Smart and Emerging Materials April 19-20, 2018 Dubai, UAE

Designing the combination of several different materials through modeling, and simulation to have a material with desired property and structure is the concept behind Smart Materials and Structures. They are hybrid materials composed of dissimilar phases which significantly change upon exposure to any applied external stimuli such as temperature, stress, magnetic or electric fields. Smart Structures  are devices composed of smart materials capable of sensing stimuli, responding to it and reverting to its original state after the stimuli is removed.  Smart structures have the ability to resist natural calamities.

Several materials like LiTraCon , Silicene etc have been emerging. Their status being hypothetical, experimental or in use, these materials have found potential applications in health, aerospace, automobiles etc.

Manufacturing materials with desired structure and properties involves the use of several different processing steps . As a researcher, a material cannot be manufactured in industry and marketed if no economical and qualitative production method for it has been developed. Thus, the processing of materials is vital to the field of materials science.Recently several smart materials have emerged through new production methods or modified synthesis steps. 

Smart materials are materials whose properties are engineered to change in a controlled manner under the influence of external stimuli. These external influences can include temperature, force, moisture, electric charge, magnetic fields and pH. 

Shape-changing smart materials are materials and products which are able to reversibly change their shape in response to one or more stimuli like the effect of light, temperature, pressure, an electric or magnetic field, or a chemical stimulus. There are materials and products that are able to change their shape without changing their dimensions and other materials and products that retain their shape but change their dimensions. Some are also able to change both parameters at the same time.

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field entering the world of smart materials and taking them to the next level. Nanotechnology enabled smart materials may be able to change and recombine much like the shape shifting cyborg in the movie Terminator 2. They may incorporate Nano sensors, Nano computers and Nano machines into their structure which may enable them to respond directly to their environment. As an example materials may be able to shape shift-comfortable, flexible clothing for motorcyclists could go rock hard if it detects an impact, or similar material worn by a police office could detect an approaching projectile and turn itself bullet proof. 

The task of combining Material Science and Biology can lead to production of Smart Bioactive Materials which can find several applications. The venture of developing these materials and finding suitable ways of processing them and integrating them into existing systems is the current challenge to the research institutes and industry.

Addressing a biological problem using materials is not a new concept, for example dental fillings, artificial hips, heart stents and orthopedic implants are non-biological materials being deployed in the human body to fulfill a health requirement. Advances in manufacturing processes combined with cross-talk between scientific and engineering disciplines have resulted in a rapidly emerging area within Bioengineering to develop smart biomaterials. Next-generation Biomaterials are rationally designed to serve the society.

Industrialization and Modernization has led to several environmental issues like water pollution, water scarcity etc. Several materials and devices have been developed to serve as solutions to these problems for example the usage of absorbent pads to oil leakage problems and membrane filters for desalination. Smart materials being a novel concept promises hope to solve these problems.

Over the years smart materials have got vast applications in several fields. Smart materials have recently been produced and employed by industries in synthesis of several other devices called Smart Structures.

Depletion of natural resources and worldwide increase in population has created a need for Biofuels. For the growing need of production and storage of energy, systems including diverse materials, operations and properties have been employed, for example batteries such as Lithium batteries are used in various types of mobile devices, including communication equipment, computers, entertainment devices, power tools, toys, games, lighting and medical devices. Smart Materials employed in smart tools for wide range of applications and less wastage have huge possibilities in the coming future.

Curiosity to redesign the earth's geography or a simple city has led to development of Architecture, Interior design, Civil, Structural and Construction Engineering. The existing materials proving difficult to be used by their behavior, hope for smart materials to be employed is awakened.

The support of Government with its initiatives, the initiative R&D investment in the industries and institutions and the adoption of smart material products among various end-user industries like Defense & Aerospace, Automotive, and Consumer electronics has driven the market of smart materials. There is a high demand for smart materials on account of potential growth in emerging economies as well as evolution in Internet of Things (IoTs).It is expected that the smart material market will attain up to billion dollars by 2022. The trend in the market and the factors impacting the market are studied.

A good memory is not something which money can buy. Smart Materials have the ability to return to their original shape after the removal of stress. Thus the memory of these will play a key role in a way that many types of products are designed and assembled in the future. There are numerous applications for the technology in the Automotive, Aerospace, Appliance, Medical and Electronics industries.