Active materials

Active materials are materials that react to external influences and thereby change their physical, chemical or electrical properties. In contrast to passive materials, which do not show any changes, active materials are able to change their properties.

There are many types of active materials, such as piezoelectric materials, shape memory alloys, electrochromic materials and photovoltaic materials. Piezoelectric materials can convert electrical signals into mechanical motion, which makes them ideal for ultrasonic devices and accelerometers. Shape memory alloys are able to change their shape when stimulated by heat or current. For this reason, they are very useful for wire forms and actuators. Electrochromic materials are able to change colour when exposed to electrical signals and are ideal for e.g. solar shading systems. Photovoltaic materials can convert sunlight into electricity and are used in solar cells and solar modules for this reason.

Active materials are used in a wide variety of sectors, such as industry, medicine, electronics and power generation.