ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, the development of polymers which change their structures and properties in response to environmental stimuli such as pH, temperature, and light has attracted a great deal of attention (1-3). Such polymers have been called ‘‘smart polymers,’’ ‘‘intelligent polymers,’’ ‘‘stimulus-sensitive polymers,’’ or ‘‘responsive polymers.’’ They have been used in many applications, ranging from bioactive agent delivery to separation (4,5). Various delivery systems based on the smart polymers have been proposed because of their
unique potential in the modulation of drug release and targeting functionality (6-8).
