Materials Research and Technology

Smart Polymers

Smart Polymers go through large reversible changes either in their physical or chemical properties due to the little environmental variations. These Smart Polymers are temperature sensitive polymers; the main classes of these temperature responsive polymers are Shape Memory Alloys, Liquid Crystalline Materials and responsive polymer solutions. These materials are delicate to several factors such as humidity, pH, temperature intensity of light and many more. Due to the wavelength or magnetic field they are able to respond in different ways like transparency, becoming conductive or changing shapes which are usually shape memory polymers. Minute change in the environment is enough to produce a large change in the polymer’s characteristics.