Smart materials are becoming an important part of our future, and in many cases they are right under (or above) our noses today. Every-day examples range from your child’s forehead thermometer to your sunglass frames.
Children’s forehead film thermometers are inexpensive and convenient tools for measuring approximate temperatures based on the surface reaction of materials in a layered film. But what makes it “smart”? The particles that are layered and positioned in the thermometer film are specially selected inks and polymer particles that change their reflective properties based on the surface temperature. The resulting effect creates the appearance of intelligence by providing a viewpoint of perspective to the user. The particles are individually performing a specific localized reaction to a stimulus that is fundamental to the particles themselves. In this case the attribute of the particles is that they change their optically reflective properties based on temperature. This gives the user the apparent viewpoint that the film appears to become “smart” by providing a reading of temperature in color and numerical information. It almost can appear to be magic – but it is actually physics.