ABSTRACT
76Smart polymers (SPs) are one of the important classes of polymers and its applications have been increasing significantly. SPs are materials that respond to small external stimuli. These are also referred as “stimuli responsive” materials or “intelligent” materials. Last two to three decades shows explosive growth in this subject.
Smart materials field of research is wide and complex not only relative to the terms but also regarding to its technical aspects and applications. These polymers show important changes in their properties with environmental stimulation. The stimuli include salt, UV irradiation, temperature, pH, magnetic or electric field, ionic factors, etc. SPs have very promising applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, cell culture, nanocarriers, textile engineering, bioseperation, optical storage device, and so on.
SPs including thermal, moisture, light-responsive polymers, and pH-responsive hydrogels have been applied to improve textile functionalities. SPs based on photoresponsive azobenzene moieties have been extensively explored as potential materials for high-capacity optical storage.
Smart polymeric nanocarriers are an important emerging area in drug delivery research. Conductive polymers have been recently used in fuel cells, computer displays and microsurgical tools, and also in biomaterials. This chapter is focused on the entire features of SPs and their most recent and relevant applications.
