Explore the fascinating world of smart materials in this 29-minute lecture from The Royal Institution. Discover how solid objects of the future will react, sense, change, and move according to their surroundings without the need for complex robotics or electronics. Learn about self-regulating houses, self-fixing bicycles, and self-illuminating roads as examples of how these innovative materials will revolutionize our daily lives. Delve into topics such as the hardness of materials, piezoelectricity, thermochromics, and shape memory alloys. Gain insights into the potential applications of smart materials in various fields, including aeronautics and temperature control. Join award-winning materials scientist and engineer Anna Ploszajski as she presents an engaging overview of the exciting possibilities that smart materials hold for shaping our future.
Overview
Syllabus
Introduction
Hardness of Materials
Pine Cone
Pyramids
piezoelectricity
crystal
unit cell
thermochromic
fear of flying
aeronautics in my blood
Leonardo da Vinci
Smart materials
Shape changing aircraft
Shape memory alloy
Solid state phase transformation
Shape memory polymers
Temperature control
Taught by
The Royal Institution
