Self-healing Coatings and Parts Are Next Frontier for Smart Materials

摘要

Recent advances and Ongoing improvements will help rapid and low-cost development of smart materials, and the next wave of innovation will be in self-healing coatings and parts, according to Lux Research. Smart materials - those that change their properties in response to environmental stimuli, providing dynamic functionality - range from everyday items like photochromic lenses that darken in sunlight to complex ceramics and nanocomposites used in electronics. Emerging classes of smart materials include self-healing materials, sensing materials, and shape memory materials, each of which has many potential applications.