What are modern and smart materials, and how do their special properties create new design possibilities?
Modern materials, smart materials, composite materials and technical textiles, including their properties and how their ability to respond to changes can be used in products.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Design and Technology core principle on modern and smart materials, covering modern materials, smart materials, composites and technical textiles, their properties and uses in products.
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What this dot point is asking
This is AQA section 3.1.3. AQA wants you to know what modern materials, smart materials, composites and technical textiles are, describe their properties, and explain how their special behaviour is used in products. Smart materials in particular respond to a change in their environment. In Paper 1 you are asked to define each category, name examples, and explain how a property is exploited in a real product.
Modern materials
- Polymorph: a thermoplastic supplied as granules that soften in warm water (around 60 degrees Celsius), letting you mould it by hand, then set hard on cooling. It can be reheated and reused, so it suits rapid modelling and ergonomic grips.
- Corn Starch Polymers (PLA): biodegradable polymers made from plant starch rather than crude oil, used in packaging, disposable cutlery and 3D printing filament; they reduce reliance on finite resources.
- Nanomaterials: materials engineered at the scale of nanometres, such as silver nanoparticles that give antibacterial coatings, or titanium dioxide that gives self-cleaning glass.
- Graphene: a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon that is extremely strong and an excellent conductor, used in research for batteries, sensors and flexible electronics.
Smart materials
- Shape memory alloys (SMA) such as Nitinol return to a remembered shape when heated above a transition temperature; used in dental braces (body heat applies a constant gentle force), spectacle frames, and thermostatic valves.
- Thermochromic pigments change colour with temperature; used in mugs that reveal a design when hot, room thermometers, battery testers and baby-bath safety strips.
- Photochromic pigments change colour with light intensity; used in light-reactive sunglasses lenses that darken in bright sun and clear indoors.
- Quantum tunnelling composite (QTC) changes from insulator to conductor under pressure; used in pressure-sensitive switches and touch controls.
- Electroluminescent (EL) wire glows when a voltage is applied; used in safety clothing and displays.
Composite materials
- Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP): glass fibres in a polyester resin; strong, light and waterproof, used in boat hulls, car body panels and water tanks.
- Carbon fibre reinforced polymer: carbon strands in resin; an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, used in racing bikes, Formula 1 chassis and aircraft parts, though it is expensive.
- Concrete and reinforced concrete: steel bars add tensile strength to concrete, which is strong in compression but weak in tension.
- Plywood, MDF and chipboard: engineered wood composites bonded from veneers or fibres, which are dimensionally stable and free of the knots and splits of natural timber.
Technical textiles
Technical textiles are engineered for a particular function rather than for appearance.
- Kevlar (aramid): very high tensile strength for its weight; used in bulletproof vests, cut-resistant gloves and sails.
- Nomex: flame-resistant and does not melt; used in firefighters' and racing drivers' clothing.
- Gore-Tex: a membrane that is breathable yet waterproof, letting sweat vapour out while keeping rain out; used in outdoor jackets and footwear.
- Conductive and microencapsulated textiles: carry signals for wearable electronics, or release scent or medication over time.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20204 marksDescribe what is meant by a smart material and explain how a shape memory alloy is used in a named product.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark question splits between the definition and the applied example. Markers want the reversible response and a real use.
A smart material changes one of its properties in response to an external stimulus such as heat, light, pressure, moisture or electricity, and returns to its original state when the stimulus is removed. The change is reversible, which separates a smart material from one that is permanently altered.
A shape memory alloy (SMA) such as Nitinol returns to a remembered shape when heated above a transition temperature. In dental braces, body heat keeps the SMA archwire trying to return to its set shape, applying a gentle constant force that moves the teeth without frequent tightening. In glasses frames, an SMA bridge springs back to shape after being bent, so the frames resist damage.
Markers reward (1) the definition with reversibility, (2) naming the stimulus (heat for SMA), (3) the recovery of a set shape, (4) a valid named product. Saying it "remembers its shape" without the heat stimulus or a product limits the marks.
AQA 20183 marksExplain why carbon fibre reinforced polymer is chosen instead of steel for a racing bicycle frame.Show worked answer →
A 3-mark Explain wants developed reasoning about a composite.
Carbon fibre reinforced polymer is a composite of carbon strands set in a resin matrix, giving a very high strength-to-weight ratio: it is far lighter than steel for the same strength. A lighter frame accelerates faster and is easier to handle and climb hills with, which directly improves race performance. The fibres can also be laid in chosen directions so the frame is stiff where pedalling load is high and slightly compliant elsewhere for comfort.
Markers reward (1) identifying it as a composite of fibre and resin, (2) the high strength-to-weight ratio versus steel, (3) the performance benefit of low mass. Saying only "it is strong" without the weight comparison caps the answer.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552) specification — AQA (2017)