Next-generation medical materials that are designed to seamlessly integrate with the human body will benefit from the ability to reconfigure polymeric networks at multiple length scales. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of biodegradable elastomeric networks that can be reconfigured in response to heat and light. One example of this class of materials features reconfigurable chemistries for use in temporary shape-memory medical materials. Another class of material features a tri-block co-polymer configuration that can be reconfigured at the networks scale in response to light (See Figure). The applicability of these soft polymeric materials in biomedical devices will be discussed.

Multi-scale reconfigurable polymeric networks as dynamic medical materials

245th National Meeting (2013)

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