The “Smart Materials” Section of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) focuses on substances engineered to surpass the inherent limitations of conventional materials. These substances leverage advanced designs and structures that enable controlled responses to external stimuli, such as stress, moisture, electric or magnetic fields, light, temperature, pH, and chemical environments. Adaptive properties such as these make smart materials ideal for applications including sensors, actuators, artificial muscles, and robotics. This Section provides a high-impact forum for rapid publication of research on the preparation, characterization, and application of smart materials, encompassing areas such as soft robotics, wearable and flexible/stretchable electronics, energy generation and storage devices, displays, and shape-memory polymers. We welcome experimental studies, theoretical research, and novel characterization techniques.

All articles published in our journal are available in an open-access format, granting you unrestricted access to the full text for free. We invite you to explore our most highly cited papers of 2024, listed below:

1. “Review of Flexible Robotic Grippers, with a Focus on Grippers Based on Magnetorheological Materials”
by Meng Xu, Yang Liu, Jialei Li, Fu Xu, Xuefeng Huang and Xiaobin Yue.
Materials 2024, 17(19), 4858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17194858
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/19/4858

2. “Fundamental Aspects of Stretchable Mechanochromic Materials: Fabrication and Characterization”
by Christina Tang
Materials 2024, 17(16), 3980; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17163980
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/16/3980

3. “Facilely Promoting the Concentration of Baicalin in Polylactic Acid Fiber for UV Shielding and Antibacterial Functions: A Customized and Sustainable Approach”
by Yuyang Zhou, Peng Deng and Wei Chen          
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3734; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153734
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/15/3734

4. “Research Progress and Emerging Directions in Stimulus Electro-Responsive Polymer Materials”
by Zifeng Jin, Xiaoyan Wei, Xiaojun He, Zhenglin Wang, Zhibo Zhao, Huan He, Ya’nan Yang and Nan Chen
Materials 2024, 17(17), 4204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174204
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/17/4204

5. “Modern Electromagnetic-Radiation-Shielding Materials Made Using Different Knitting Techniques”
by Zbigniew Mikołajczyk, Iwona Nowak, Łukasz Januszkiewicz, Monika Szewczyk and Joanna Junak
Materials 2024, 17(13), 3052; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133052
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/13/3052

6. “Enhancement of Magnetorheological Fluids with Size and Morphology—Optimized Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles: Impacts on Rheological Properties and Stability”
by Liwei Xu and Guangdong Zhou
Materials 2024, 17(12), 2838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17122838
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/12/2838

7. “Improvement of Electro-Caloric Effect and Energy Storage Density in BaTiO₃-Bi(Zn, Ti)O₃ Ceramics Prepared with BaTiO₃ Nano-Powder”
by Geun-Soo Lee, Jeong-Seog Kim and Chae-Il Cheon
Materials 2024, 17(13), 3146; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17133146
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/13/3146

8. “The Functionalization of Activated Polyester Fabrics with Chitosan—Changes in Zeta Potential and Moisture Management”  
by Ivana Čorak, Anita Tarbuk, Tihana Dekanić, Dominik Sikorski and Zbigniew Draczyński
Materials 2024, 17(23), 5987; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17235987
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/23/5987

9. “Surface Treatment Strategies and Their Impact on the Material Behavior and Interfacial Adhesion Strength of Shape Memory Alloy NiTi Wire Integrated in Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Laminate Structures”
by Saravanan Palaniyappan, Harshan Kalenahalli Ramesha, Maik Trautmann, Steven Quirin, Tobias Heib, Hans-Georg Herrmann and Guntram Wagner
Materials 2024, 17(14), 3513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17143513
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/14/3513

10. “Polyurethanes Made with Blends of Polycarbonates with Different Molecular Weights Showing Adequate Mechanical and Adhesion Properties and Fast Self-Healing at Room Temperature”
by Yuliet Paez-Amieva, Noemí Mateo-Oliveras and José Miguel Martín-Martínez
Materials 2024, 17(22), 5532; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225532
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/17/22/5532

We also invite you to explore the Special Issues in the “Smart Materials” Section, listed below:

1. “Micro-Drive and Active Control Based on Smart Materials”
Guest Editors: Dr. Xinjie Wang and Dr. Hua Li
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026

2. “Intelligent Metasurfaces and Metamaterials: From Computational Design to Dynamic Absorption”
Guest Editors: Dr. Yun He and Dr. Xun Ye
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026

3. “Smart Textile Materials: Design, Characterization and Application”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Ewa Skrzetuska, Dr. Anna Kicińska-Jakubowska and Prof. Dr. Jan Broda
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026

Materials Editorial Office