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Year 11

Smart materials

I can describe the properties and uses of smart materials and give specific examples.

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New
New
Year 11

Smart materials

I can describe the properties and uses of smart materials and give specific examples.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Smart materials react to a stimuli.
  2. Stimuli can be environmental such as light, temperature, humidity, or when manipulated or put under pressure.
  3. Smart materials react by changing colour, shape or conductivity.

Keywords

  • Stimulus/stimuli - (singular/plural) something that encourages activity or change

  • Physical property - the characteristics of a material, such as appearance and features

  • Working property - the way in which a material responds to an external force or certain environment; also referred to as mechanical properties

  • Function - the purpose of the product

  • Form - a particular shape, linked to aesthetics

Common misconception

Smart materials are only for fun products like colour changing mugs!

Smart materials give designers and engineers exciting possibilities when developing new products. Possibilities often focus on function and/or form. For example, thermochromic materials can be used to indicate a temperature and warn users of danger.


To help you plan your year 11 design and technology lesson on: Smart materials, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Collect together as many examples as you can find, including: colour changing mugs, umbrellas, spoons, glasses that change to sunglasses, memory foam pillows etc.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Smart materials ...
are expensive.
Correct answer: can respond to changes around them.
can only be used once.
are always colourful.
Q2.
Which of these might a smart material respond to?
heat
light
pressure
Correct answer: all of the above
Q3.
What is an example of a product that might use a smart material?
a plastic bag
a wooden chair
Correct answer: sunglasses that change shade in sunlight
a wool sweater
Q4.
Why are smart materials useful?
Correct answer: they can improve product performance
they are always cheap to produce
they don’t need any aesthetic design
they don’t wear out
Q5.
These glasses have turned into sunglasses. Which stimulus have they responded to?
An image in a quiz
heat
pressure
electricity
Correct answer: sunlight
Q6.
What happens when this spoon is placed in hot water?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: changes colour, colour changes, it changes colour, the colour changes

6 Questions

Q1.
Sort the physical/working properties and stimuli:
Correct Answer:temperature,stimuli
tick

stimuli

Correct Answer:colour,physical properties
tick

physical properties

Correct Answer:electrical conductivity,working properties
tick

working properties

Correct Answer:pressure,stimuli
tick

stimuli

Correct Answer:moisture,stimuli
tick

stimuli

Correct Answer:opacity,physical properties
tick

physical properties

Q2.
Match the smart material to the stimuli that it responds to:
Correct Answer:hydrochromic,water/mositure
tick

water/mositure

Correct Answer:photochromic,sunlight
tick

sunlight

Correct Answer:thermochromic,heat
tick

heat

Correct Answer:shape memory alloy,heat
tick

heat

Correct Answer:piezoelectric,pressure
tick

pressure

Correct Answer:bioconcrete,water/moisture
tick

water/moisture

Q3.
Glasses (for vision) that are accidentally sat on, pop back to their original shape. Which smart material is this an example of?
thermochromic
hydrochromic
piezoelectric
Correct answer: shape memory alloy
bioconcrete
Q4.
Identify the products that use smart materials to improve their function:
Correct answer: stents
novelty umbrellas
Correct answer: colour changing baby spoons
Correct answer: glasses that lenses change to sunglasses
Correct answer: colour changing bandages that show if a wound has become infected
Q5.
Some nappies use a smart material to identify that the nappy needs changing. Which smart material is this an example of?
An image in a quiz
photochromic
thermochromic
polymorph
Correct answer: hydrochromic
Q6.
This smart material uses bacteria that react with water to 'heal' itself by producing limestone to fill any micro cracks that appear. Which smart material is it?
polymorph
hydrochromic
Correct answer: bioconcrete
shape memory alloy
photochromic