A Concept of Intelligent Materials

TOSHINORI TAKAGI*
Ion Engineering Research Institute Corporation
Osaka-International-Trade-Center Bldg.
5-3-51 Kakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530, Japan

INTRODUCTION
AND TECHNOLOGY in the twenty-first century will rely heavily on the
SCIENCE
development
that of the
so-called
of materials. Based on a concept that differs greatly from
new
structural and functional materials, &dquo;intelligent materials&dquo;
will play an important part in materials sciences and development.
Intelligent materials may be defined as &dquo;materials which respond to en-
vironmental changes at the most optimum conditions and manifest their own
functions according to the changes&dquo;. The advent of intelligent materials will un-
doubtedly mark an epoch-making development in many fields of science and
technology such as information science, electronics, computer science, medical
treatment, life science, energy transportation, and safety engineering.
Individual philosophies and specialties have led scientists to a variety of defini-
tions of intelligent materials. In Japan, from July 1987 to November 1989, the
Council for Aeronautics, Electronics, and Other Advanced Technologies of the
Science and Technology Agency supported a discussion on intelligent materials.
For the first time in Japan, an attempt was made to study this new concept from
the perspective of professionals representing a broad range of disciplines. It was
hoped that these discussions could provide some direction for the development of
research techniques in the field of intelligent materials.
In November 1989, a report summarizing the discussion was submitted to the
Minister of the Science and Technology Agency. It is hoped that this report will
be used in the future development of science and technology in Japan.
In order to facilitate world-wide understanding of intelligent materials, Japan
hosted the International Workshop on Intelligent Materials (1989), March 15-17,
at Tsukuba Science City, Japan [1]. This paper will describe a concept of intelli-
gent materials based on the discussions of the Materials Technology Committee
and Subcommittee in the Council for Aeronautics, Electronics, and Other Ad-

*Dr. Toshinori Takagi is the Chairman of the Materials Technology Committee and Subcommittee m the Council
for Aeronautics, Electronics, and Other Advanced Technologies of the Science and Technology Agency (STA),
Government of Japan.

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vanced Technologies of the Science and Technology Agency and on the concept
paper presented at the international workshop.

A CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENT MATERIALS

The history of materials science shows a distinct trend in the development of
new materials from structural materials to functional or polyfunctional materials.
A class of materials that may surpass the functional materials is known as &dquo;intelli-
gent materials&dquo;. Materials development in the future, therefore, should be di-
rected toward the creation of materials which have capabilities beyond present
functional materials and which may, in some respects, surpass even biological
materials. This development should be driven by a fundamental concept that
future materials and their environment (including human beings) must co-exist
and that their relationship must be considered in their synthesis, development,
and function.
As stated in the introduction, intelligent materials may be defined as the
materials that respond to environmental changes at the most optimum condition
and manifest their own functions according to these changes. At present, the ex-
tent and the feasibility of this concept is not clear.
In Figure 1, a concept of intelligent materials is compared with that of struc-
tural and functional materials. The structural and functional materials have
basically two fundamental characteristics consisting of property and function. In
addition to property and function, intelligent materials have several more charac-
teristics including the sensor, processor, effector, and feedback functions. Conse-
quently, intelligent materials are expected to open a new field in science and tech-
nology.
Today, science and technology has reached a level of development enabling
materials design and structure to be controlled on the atomic and molecular

Figure 1. Structural and functional materials versus intelligent materials.

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scales. As a result, we can now produce materials, by the process of systematiza-

tion and accumulation, with built-in software systems.
The history of materials development contains many cases where a new
material was created but not &dquo;realized&dquo;. Not until an application or concept for the
material was clarified could the new material be appreciated. Such has been the
case for another exciting development-artificial intelligence. Accordingly, estab-

lishing a new and operational concept for intelligent materials is important to the
creation of such materials.
The concept of intelligent materials discussed by the members of the Materials
Technology Committee and Subcommittee in the Council for Aeronautics, Elec-
tronics, and Other Advanced Technologies is depicted schematically in Figure 2.
In this concept, the intelligence in materials is classified roughly into three cate-
gories : (1) the intelligence from the viewpoint of human beings, (2) the intelli-
gence inherent in materials, and (3) the intelligence at the most primitive levels
in materials. The categories may also be referred to as &dquo;social utility&dquo;, the &dquo;intelli-
gent functions&dquo;, and the &dquo;primitive functions&dquo;, respectively [2].

Intelligence at the Most Primitive Levels in Materials

Intelligence at the most primitive level in materials (primitive functions) con-
sists essentially of three functions: the sensor function, the effector or actuator
function, and the processor function (including the memory function). These
three functions are supported by even more primitive functions such as the sys-
tematic information transfer function, the energy conversion and supply func-
tion, and functions and structures at the most fundamental levels in physics and
chemistry.
There also exists a subhierarchy within the primitive functions category, as
shown in Figure 2. If the three functions of sensor, effector, and processor are to
work together within a material, the systematic transfer function and energy con-
version and supply function are indispensable to the process.

Intelligence Inherent in Materials

The intelligence inherent in materials (intelligent functions) is a property
unique to the materials; therefore, it is independent of human evaluation.
In order for the macroscopic functions category to fulfill its own utility, primi-
tive functions must be built into a material by the process of systematization and
accumulation. This step is referred to as the incorporation of software systems
into materials. The intelligence belonging to this category will include: self-
diagnostics, self-multiplication (self-breeding), self-repair, self-degradation,
self-learning, foreseeing/notification, redundancy (the level of sophistication) in
software and hardware, and the ability to recognize/discriminate.
The aforementioned items of intelligence are supported by even more basic in-
telligence properties such as homeostasis, environment-responsiveness, feed-
back, and time-responsiveness. Time responsiveness is the most basic intelli-
gence aspect in this category, and is indispensable for every function belonging
to this category. Furthermore, time-responsiveness is probably the most impor-

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152

tant characteristic of the intelligent materials. Indeed, if the time response to a

stimulus is too slow, the material may have no application; if the response is too
fast, the material may be useless, or worse, dangerous. Again, for these items of
basic intelligence, there is a subhierarchy within the intelligent functions cate-
gory, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Schematic representation of intelligent materials.

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 153

From the fundamental characteristics of the time response concept, we can ex-
pect a variety of intelligent responses in the materials. There are, for example,
materials that can judge the circumstances and then predict the future. These
materials will work as a lifetime predictor depending on the stimulation from the
environment. Materials will change their characteristics at certain intervals of
time in order to survive. The time interval will vary according to function. In this
interval, we can expect the materials to reduce their performance from a full
operating condition to an adequate one until the materials can recover or be
repaired.

Intelligence from the Viewpoint of Human Beings

The intelligence of a material from the viewpoint of human beings (social util-
ity) is always evaluated in connection with the environment and the circumstance
of the material’s use. Intelligence belonging to this category include: economy,
the saving of resources, intensiveness of information, human friendliness,
reliability, harmony with environment, and optimum life span.
These items of &dquo;intelligence&dquo; are supported by a more basic &dquo;intelligence&dquo; such
as analytical judgment, synthetic recognition/judgment, rationality, illogicality,
and all-around harmony. The all-around harmony is the most basic intelligence
aspect in the social utility category, and supports all the other aspects of intelli-
gence belonging to this category.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF INTELLIGENT MATERIALS

Materials with Variable Properties

Materials whose properties vary according to changes in the environment
and/or operating conditions may be feasible. The materials may have some built-
in intelligence such as self-diagnosis, self-learning, prediction/notification,
standby ability, stimulus-reactiveness, and the ability to recognize/discriminate.
Examples of such materials follow.
1.Materials whose surface color or luster varies according to the applied load,
thus giving a warning before failure
2. Materials whose appearances vary according to the internal degree of damage
due to creep, fatigue, or radiation, thus displaying the property of degrada-
tion
3. Materials whose mechanical and/or electrical properties vary according to
their environment, thus facilitating the construction or decommissioning of a
structure; this example would include a material whose properties, such as
mechanical fatigue, Curie point, and hysteresis point could be varied through
the sensing of environmental changes
4. Materials whose mechanical and/or electrical properties vary according to
the applied load

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154

~ the material could be used for solid state bar type switching with non-
movable contacts
~ it might have time characteristics usable for on-off switching
~ the time constant of switching could vary according to applied load
~ it might be possible to arrange composite materials so that the ultimate
strength at the loaded portion could increase at the expense of the ultimate
strength in the other portions of the structure
Materials with these properties have potential as future structural materials.

Materials with Variable Structures/Compositions

Materials whose structure/composition varies according to changes in the en-
vironment and/or operating conditions may be feasible if the materials have the
built-in intelligence aspects of materials with variable properties. Examples of
such materials are as follows:

1.Materials whose chemical composition varies according to environment

and/or operating conditions, thus being able to decompose or to restore the
degraded properties by itself
2. Materials whose structures or compositions vary according to the degree of
damage due to radiation, corrosion, or breakdown voltage, thus giving an
ultra-high resistance to these damaging processes
3. Materials whose phase diagrams vary according to environment so that they
can be used with a very wide range of temperatures, pressures, etc.

These materials have the possibility of being utilized not only as the usual
structural materials but also as the specialized ultimate materials to be used in the
construction of nuclear plants, aircraft, and space vehicles.

Materials with Variable Functions

The functions of materials could vary in response to environmental changes. In
this case, materials would possess a built-in intelligence with the capability of
self-diagnosis, self-learning, ability of standby, stimulus-reactiveness, and ability
of recognition/discrimination. Examples of such materials follow:

1.Materials whose electric threshold varies according to the applied potential

or loading conditions, thus being able to open and close a circuit automatically
2. Materials whose electric threshold varies according to the type of signal and
its origin, thus being able to discriminate many signals in a single lead wire
3. Materials whose optical threshold varies according to wavelength and the
amount of incident light, thus adjusting the light transmittance to the opti-
mum for human eyes
4. Materials whose permeability barrier to a particular gas varies according to
the material’s environment, thus adjusting the gas permeation to the optimum

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 155

These materials have the possibility of being utilized as electrical, electronic,

and optical materials.

Materials with Systematized Functions

Various functions systematized within materials may be feasbile. The materials
would have the systematic information transfer function as well as built-in intelli-
gence. Examples of such materials follow:
1. All-around sensor materials with the ability to detect a variety of signals si-
multaneously ; the materials then output signals similar to the five senses, or
even the &dquo;feelings&dquo;, of a human being
2. Sensor materials with systematized functions enabling them to automatically
adjust their sensitivity to environmental changes
3. Sensor materials with the capability of restoring their degraded sensitivity
4. Catalytic materials that can regulate a reaction by detecting its progress
5. Catalytic materials that can distinguish the reaction product, then disappear
after the completion of the reaction
6. Textile materials able to simultaneously detect various signals about the
weather conditions and the human body, thus affording optimum comfort in
clothing

Biomaterials with Self-Adjustable Functions

Biomaterials with self-adjustable functions would need all of the items of
built-in intelligence illustrated by the intelligent functions category in Figure 2.
Examples of such biomaterials follow:
1. Biomaterials capable of promoting bone growth in the human body through
self-adjustable functions
2. Biomaterials with self-adjustable functions capable of substituting for human
skin, liver, kidney, pancreas, etc.
3. Biomaterials capable of functioning as a drug delivery system

CONCLUSIONS
This paper reflects the author’s personal opinion and is based on a report on the
concept of intelligent materials by the members of the Materials Technology
Committee and Subcommittee, Council for Aeronautics, Electronics and Other
Advanced Technologies, Science and Technology Agency (STA), Government of
Japan [3].
Intelligent materials are a new concept. The information science, including
several functions such as sensor, processor, effector, and feedback, is combined
with the property and function of structural and functional materials. Intelligent
materials are imperfect systems when operating independently. The development
of intelligent materials would establish a higher grade system, a system able to
recognize, discriminate and adjust.

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Although the concept of intelligent materials is not clearly defined by this

paper, it is hoped that the concept will attract researchers on an international
scale and stimulate valuable discussion among them. Intelligent materials are
related to wide areas of research, i.e., interdisciplinary fields of research, and it
is important to communicate opinions and to maintain intimate contact in this
field.
The author thanks the members of the Materials Technology Committee and
Subcommittee for their many valuable discussions and comments. Appreciation
is also due to the members of the Office of Materials Science and Technology,
STA, for their assistance in preparing this manuscript.

REFERENCES
1. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Intelligent Materials, Tsukuba Science City, March
1989, The Society of Non-Traditional Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
2. Takagi, T. "A Concept of Intelligent Materials in Japan", ibid, pp. 1-10.
3. The Concept of Intelligent Materials and Guidelines on their R&D Promotion, Science and Tech-
nology Agency in Japan, November 30, 1989 (published in English in January 1990).

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