Recent advances in dynamic covalent bond-based shape memory polymers

Recent advances in polymer shape memory

Traditional shape memory polymers (SMPs) are those capable of memorizing a temporary shape and recovering to the permanent shape upon heating. Although such a basic concept has been known for half a century, recent progresses have challenged the conventional understanding of the polymer shape memory effect and significantly expanded the practical potential of SMPs. In this article, notable rece...

Dynamic covalent polymers based upon carbene dimerization.

Thermally-reversible covalent polymers featuring dynamic carbon-carbon double bonds and tunable molecular weights were prepared from difunctional carbenes; addition of transition metal complexes to these materials afforded the respective main-chain organometallic polymers.

Dynamic covalent polymers

This Highlight presents an overview of the rapidly growing field of dynamic covalent polymers. This class of polymers combines intrinsic reversibility with the robustness of covalent bonds, thus enabling formation of mechanically stable, polymer-based materials that are responsive to external stimuli. It will be discussed how the inherent dynamic nature of the dynamic covalent bonds on the mole...

Shape-memory polymers.

Material scientists predict a prominent role in the future for self-repairing and intelligent materials. Throughout the last few years, this concept has found growing interest as a result of the rise of a new class of polymers. These so-called shape-memory polymers by far surpass well-known metallic shape-memory alloys in their shape-memory properties. As a consequence of the relatively easy ma...

Recent advances in bio-based polymers and composites