Smart materials: a review of recent developments

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a review of recent developments in selected fields of smart material technology.Design/methodology/approach – Following a brief introduction to smart materials, this paper considers research into three classes that are presently attracting particular interest: self‐healing materials; smart sensing materials and sensing skins; and shape‐changing materials.Findings – This shows that each of these fields is the topic of a major research effort and although few products are yet available commercially, they offer great future potential due to their unique capabilities. A multitude of uses are anticipated in the aerospace, defence, automotive, civil engineering, medical, robotics and other industries.Originality/value – This paper provides a topical, technical insight into developments in three classes of smart materials.