Circular economy pathways with programmable intelligent surfaces and materials

The present study proposes the use of intelligent materials in the design of products, as enforcers of circular economy principles. Intelligent materials can tune their physical properties (electromagnetic, acoustic, mechanical and thermal) by receiving software commands. When incorporated within products and living spaces they can mitigate the resource waste caused by inefficient, partially optimized designs and security concerns. Thus, a circular economy and fast-paced product design become compatible. The study begins by surveying existing artificial materials, outlining their operating principles for controlling their macroscopic physical properties in in real time, demonstrably enabling the micromanagement of vibrations and heat. Then, the study presents the concept of a circular economy and analyzes current related research. Finally, the paper surveys promising synergies between artificial materials and a circular economy across multiple industrial sectors, highlighting considerable gain potentials in an ecological footprint.