How engineers developed a self-aware and self-powered material

Imagine if a bridge or a heart stent could provide advanced warning long before any potential issues arose. The Intelligent Structural Monitoring and Response Testing (iSMaRT) Lab at the University of Pittsburgh designed a whole new class of materials that is seemingly self-aware — and self-powered!

The material consists of natural sensors that monitor the condition of the structure and, when something changes, relays information back to those responsible for its safety. This differs from other self-sensing materials by not relying on carbon fibres or any other electrical cabling to power the sensors. Instead, it is powered by contact-electrification, a process that creates an electrical current when two metals come into contact with one another. As soon as the material is put under pressure, it creates the contact necessary to generate electricity — allowing the structure to continuously monitor itself and send warnings, when necessary, without any external power source.

The material also demonstrates innovation in its scalability. Designs used for nanoscale structures can be applied to megascale structures simply by modifying geometry between designs. The team has developed an array of prototypes for different subsets of engineering including civil, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. Two major applications the team is refining include a heart stent that monitors blood flow to detect vessel constriction before a heart attack, and a bridge beam that self-monitors for structural defects.

Researchers are even considering this material’s off-Earth potential. Because it does not rely on cables, is low-cost and is easily scalable, researchers are imagining this material’s potential for habitats on locations like Mars.

Materials engineers are at the forefront of this potentially world-changing research and development. With their expertise in improving how physical objects function in real-world situations, they can examine the molecular makeup of physical objects to understand how those objects relate to the larger world — ultimately finding new applications to solve problems at many levels.

APEGA proudly regulates engineering and geoscience in Alberta. The innovations discovered and implemented by these professions continuously improve the world around us.

Learn more about this new metamaterial and how materials engineers are changing the world around us.