Smart Materials

Our decade-long commitment to smart materials and their processes, together with our team of highly qualified researchers with wide-ranging experience in various scientific fields, enables us to undertake research in the following areas:

• Magnetorheological and ferrofluids. We formulate these materials on the basis of the ideal properties required by each application, functionalising particles which we manufacture ourselves for both industrial and biological/environmental applications.
• We also develop polymers with electrical properties (extrinsic and intrinsic conductors and piezoelectric polymers) as well as compounds with different degrees of electrical conductivity and characterisation.

• We undertake research into shape memory polymers and develop appropriate applications. These materials recover their original shape when the temperature is changed.
• Compound containing active materials: we develop polymer-based mixtures of thermoplastic and thermoset materials with active properties (chromo- and photoactive, antibacterial, etc.).
• We develop smart structures by combining sensors and actuators via control software. We develop demonstrators, which are particularly useful when it comes to checking the suitability of new materials as sensors or actuators.
• Smart textiles. We produce compound containing smart material for the development of fibres with new properties. Conductive threads to enable the incorporation of electronics into textiles, shape memory, colour changes, etc.

Our most notable equipment for activities in the field of smart materials is as follows:

• A laboratory equipped with equipment for macromolecular synthesis
• Micro-rheometer for rheological studies and preparation of concentrates containing new active polymers or nanomaterials
• Magnetic rheometer with a magnetorheological cell
• Mini-injector highly sensitive to shear- or temperature-induced degradation
• Spinner for fibre production
• Smart-materials laboratory equipped with electronic signal-analysis equipment, a vibration generator, sensors and actuators, microprocessors... to determine their behaviour
• Spectrocolorimeter with data-acquisition and -treatment software to measure light emission intensities, LEDs, phosphorescent and electroluminescent materials and colour changes in thermochromic and photoactive materials etc.
• Thermographic camera
• Electrical conductivity measurements using the Van der Pauw method, also known as the four-point method. This enables us to determine the surface and volume electrical resistivity and how they vary with temperature.