UV Reconfigurable Shape Memory Polyurethane with a High Recovery Ratio under Large Deformation

Recent Developments in Shape Memory Elastomers for Biotechnology Applications

Shape memory elastomers have revolutionised the world since their introduction in the 20th century. The ability to tailor chemical structures to produce a family of materials in wide-ranging forms with versatile properties has propelled them to be ubiquitous. Recent challenges in the end-of-life management of polymeric materials should prompt us to ask, ‘what innovations in polymeric materials can make a strong case for their use as efficient materials?’ The development of smart elastomers that can acquire, convey, or process a stimulus (such as temperature, pressure, electromagnetic field, moisture, and chemical signals) and reply by creating a useful effect, specifically a reversible change in shape, is one such innovation. Here, we present a brief overview of shape memory elastomers (SMEs) and thereafter a review of recent advances in their development. We discuss the complex processing of structure-property relations and how they differ for a range of stimuli-responsive SMEs, self-healing SMEs, thermoplastic SMEs, and antibacterial and antifouling SMEs. Following innovations in SEMs, the SMEs are forecast to have significant potential in biotechnology based on their tailorable physical properties that are suited to a range of different external stimuli.

Photo-Controlled [4+4] Cycloaddition of Anthryl-Polymer Systems: A Versatile Approach to Fabricate Functional Materials

The reversible photo-induced [4+4] cycloaddition reaction of anthracene enables multiple cycles of dimerization and scission, allowing phototunable linkage of molecular fragments for the synthesis of polymer scaffolds. New functional materials ranging from hydrogels to shape-memory polymers were designed from anthryl-polymer systems because of their diverse photochemical reactivity and responsiveness. Light as an external stimulus allows for the remote and precise spatiotemporal control of materials without the need for additional reagents. Depending on how the photoreactive anthracene moieties were introduced, the interaction of anthryl-polymer systems with light results in various processes such as polymerization, cyclization, and cross-linking. Structural modifications of anthracene derivatives could shift their absorption from the ultraviolet to the visible light region, widening their range of applications including biologically relevant studies. These applications are further diversified and enhanced by the reversibility of the dimerization reaction using light and heat as stimuli. In this review, current developments in the synthesis and photodimerization of anthracene-containing polymers and their emerging applications in the fabrication of new materials are discussed.