Smart/intelligent systems employ active materials as sensors/actuators to respond to environmental conditions for next-generation machines and structures - applications ranging from everyday life to space exploration missions, from civilian products to military needs, from robots to information/communication technology. It is not surprising, then, that the development of smart materials systems and structures demand higher performance sensors/actuators with new and reliable functions and a fully integrated composite system design. This requires the combination of active and passive materials systems, often including the coupling of relevant mechanical, electrical, magnetic, thermal or other physical/chemical properties. This book bridges the fields of smart materials, sensing and actuating devices, and intelligent/smart systems, and provides an opportunity for researchers from related disciplines to build an interdisciplinary research field and community. Topics include: ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics; nanomaterials and nanofabrication; shape-memory alloys and magnetomaterials; active polymers and soft matters; and other materials, devices and characterization.

The novel properties of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites make them useful for a broad range of applications in fields as diverse as space exploration, bioengineering, car manufacturing, and organic solar cell development, just to name a few. Presenting an overview of polymer nanocomposites, how they compare with traditional composites, and their increasing commercial importance, Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites conveys the significance and various uses of this new technology for a wide audience with different needs and levels of understanding. Exploring definitions, architectures, applications, and fundamental principles of various functions of multifunctional polymeric smart materials-from bulk to nano-this book covers the use of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites in: Carbon nanotubes Electroactive and shape memory polymers Magnetic polymers Biomedical and bioinformation applications Fire-resistance treatments Coating technologies for aeronautical applications Ocean engineering A practical analysis of functional polymers, nanoscience, and technology, this book integrates coverage of fundamentals, research and development, and the resulting diversity of uses for multifunctional polymers and their nanocomposites. Quite possibly the first reference of its kind to explore the progress of polymer nanocomposites in terms of their multifunctionality, it covers both theory and experimental results regarding the relationships between the effective properties of polymer composites and those of polymer matrices and reinforcements. This book is a powerful informational resource that illustrates the importance of polymer nanomaterials, examining their applications in various sectors to promote new, novel research and development in those areas. It will be a welcome addition to the libraries of not only engineering researchers, but senior and graduate students in relevant fields.

Smart/intelligent systems employ active materials as sensors/actuators to respond to environmental conditions for next-generation machines and structures - applications ranging from everyday life to space exploration missions, from civilian products to military needs, from robots to information/communication technology. It is not surprising, then, that the development of smart materials systems and structures demand higher performance sensors/actuators with new and reliable functions and a fully integrated composite system design. This requires the combination of active and passive materials systems, often including the coupling of relevant mechanical, electrical, magnetic, thermal or other physical/chemical properties. This book bridges the fields of smart materials, sensing and actuating devices, and intelligent/smart systems, and provides an opportunity for researchers from related disciplines to build an interdisciplinary research field and community. Topics include: ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics; nanomaterials and nanofabrication; shape-memory alloys and magnetomaterials; active polymers and soft matters; and other materials, devices and characterization.

Admired for their extraordinary stimuli-sensitive behavior and shape-changing capabilities, shape-memory polymers (SMPs) and multifunctional composites are among the most important smart materials. They continue to be widely applied in many diverse fields to create things such as self-deployable spacecraft structures, morphing structures, SMP foams, smart textiles, and intelligent medical devices. Written by renowned authors, Shape-Memory Polymers and Multifunctional Composites is a broad overview of the systematic progress associated with this emerging class of materials. The book presents an overview of SMPs and a detailed discussion of their structural, thermo-mechanical, and electrical properties, and their applications in fields including aeronautics, astronautics, biomedicine, and the automotive industry. Covering topics ranging from synthesis procedures to ultimate applications, this is a sound instructional text that serves as a guide to smart materials and offers an in-depth exploration of multifunctional SMPs and SMP composites, outlining their important role in the materials field. In each chapter, industry experts discuss different key aspects of novel smart materials, from their properties and fabrication to the actuation approaches used to trigger shape recovery. This comprehensive analysis explores the different functions of SMPs, the fundamentals behind them, and the ways in which polymers may reshape product design in general.

The novel properties of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites make them useful for a broad range of applications in fields as diverse as space exploration, bioengineering, car manufacturing, and organic solar cell development, just to name a few. Presenting an overview of polymer nanocomposites, how they compare with traditional composites, and their increasing commercial importance, Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites conveys the significance and various uses of this new technology for a wide audience with different needs and levels of understanding. Exploring definitions, architectures, applications, and fundamental principles of various functions of multifunctional polymeric smart materials-from bulk to nano-this book covers the use of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites in: Carbon nanotubes Electroactive and shape memory polymers Magnetic polymers Biomedical and bioinformation applications Fire-resistance treatments Coating technologies for aeronautical applications Ocean engineering A practical analysis of functional polymers, nanoscience, and technology, this book integrates coverage of fundamentals, research and development, and the resulting diversity of uses for multifunctional polymers and their nanocomposites. Quite possibly the first reference of its kind to explore the progress of polymer nanocomposites in terms of their multifunctionality, it covers both theory and experimental results regarding the relationships between the effective properties of polymer composites and those of polymer matrices and reinforcements. This book is a powerful informational resource that illustrates the importance of polymer nanomaterials, examining their applications in various sectors to promote new, novel research and development in those areas. It will be a welcome addition to the libraries of not only engineering researchers, but senior and graduate students in relevant fields.