Refine
Has Fulltext
- no (2)
Document Type
- Article (2) (remove)
Language
- English (2)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (2) (remove)
Keywords
- stimuli-sensitive polymers (2) (remove)
Institute
Although the shape-changing capabilities of LCEs hold great potential for applications ranging from micropumps to artificial muscles, customization of the LCE functionality to the applications' requirements is still a challenge. It is studied whether the orientation of NMC-LCPs and NMC-LCEs based on 2-tert-butyl-1,4-bis[4-(4-pentenyloxy)benzoyl]hydroquinone can be enhanced by copolymerization with 2-methyl-1,4-bis[4-(4-pentenyloxy)benzoyl]hydroquinone or 2,6-bis[4-(4-pentenyl-oxy)-benzoyl]anthracene. An increasing content of the comonomers stabilizes the nematic phase, which enables a tailoring of T-NI for the NMC-LCP between 45 and 68 degrees C, while for the NMC-LCE T-NI ranges between 69 and 76 degrees C. In addition, NMC-LCE show an increased actuation performance.
Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are stimuli-sensitive materials capable of performing complex movements on demand, which makes them interesting candidates for various applications, for example, in biomedicine or aerospace. This trend article highlights current approaches in the chemistry of SMPs, such as tailored segment chemistry to integrate additional functions and novel synthetic routes toward permanent and temporary netpoints. Multiphase polymer networks and multimaterial systems illustrate that SMPs can be constructed as a modular system of different building blocks and netpoints. Future developments are aiming at multifunctional and multistimuli-sensitive SMPs.