Recent Advancements in Additive Manufacturing of Smart Materials and Smart Structures

Smart materials are a category of advanced materials known to demonstrate multifunctional properties when subjected to external stimuli, including pressure, body pH, temperature, electric fields, magnetic fields, and displacement. Recent years have seen a surge in the use of these materials across various industries, including aerospace, automotive, marine, thermal, nuclear, and others, owing to their multifunctional features. Their use categorizes these materials into several groups, including shape memory polymers, shape memory alloys, electrochromic materials, thermochromic materials, magnetostrictive materials, and piezoelectric materials, among others. Typically, these intelligent materials are produced by conventional manufacturing techniques, each of which presents its own challenges. Additive manufacturing techniques have advanced significantly across various domains and are purported to circumvent the challenges associated with conventional production processes. The materials are constructed in layers, resulting in three-dimensional patterns that reduce waste. Additive manufacturing components have enhanced mechanical, electrical, thermal, electrochemical, and physical properties relative to those created by conventional processes. This chapter concentrates on assessing and clarifying recent developments in the fabrication of smart materials through additive manufacturing methods, supported by pertinent literature.