Shape changing polymers (shape memory polymers and reversible shape changing polymers) possess great practical potential. Increasing the complexity of their shape changing behaviors may open up new opportunities for high value device applications. Much of this effort has focused on new molecular designs, which has led to significant progresses in the last decade. In this talk, I will introduce an alternative approach towards designing polymers of complex multi-responsive shape changing behaviors. Using a shape memory polymer and a responsive hydrogel system as two specific examples, I will describe how strategic placement of building blocks of simple responsive behavior within a single construct (i.e. a modular approach) can lead to composites of unprecedented shape changing behaviors.

Macroscopic modular approach toward multiresponsive shape changing polymers

248th National Meeting (2014)

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