In this brief review, an introduction of the underlying mechanisms for the shape memory effect (SME) and various shape memory phenomena in polymers is presented first. After that, a summary of typical applications in sensors based on either heating or wetting activated shape recovery using largely commercial engineering polymers, which are programmed by means of in-plane pre-deformation (load applied in the length/width direction) or out-of-plane pre-deformation (load applied in the thickness direction), is presented. As demonstrated by a number of examples, many low-cost engineering polymers are well suited to, for instance, anti-counterfeit and over-heating/wetting monitoring applications via visual sensation and/or tactual sensation, and many existing technologies and products (e.g., holography, 3D printing, nano-imprinting, electro-spinning, lenticular lens, Fresnel lens, QR/bar code, Moiré pattern, FRID, structural coloring, etc.) can be integrated with the shape memory feature.

Self‐healing polymer is a kind of intelligent material with the capability to repair damage automatically. In this paper, a type of polyurethane containing carboxyl groups is reported that demonstrates thermally assisted healing effects. This polymer can be healed even 72 h after cutting and also has a repeatable healing property. The self‐healing efficiency can reach 90% when comparing the tensile strength of the healed sample to the original sample. Carboxyl content plays an important role in the self‐healing property; polyurethane with no carboxyl groups cannot be healed. The mechanism of self‐healing showed that hydrogen bonding interactions between carboxyl groups and diffusion of poly(ethylene glycol) chains contribute to the self‐healing behavior. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45929.

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Water as a common, easily obtained, and environmentally friendly stimulus has been explored in stimuli-responsive materials. In this paper, a series of composites, named as PVA­(n)-CMC­(m)-GA, were prepared by filling the carboxymethyl cellulose sodium (CMC) into chemical cross-linked poly­(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). These composites demonstrated both water induced shape memory and self-healing effect. CMC with water sensitivity help the composite absorbing water to decrease the T g of composite to cause shape recovery. And CMC with water solubility is also a good healing agent, which can freely move across the cutting cross-section in wet condition and form hydrogen bonds with PVA chains in dry condition to achieve healing. Water can affect the hydrogen bonding interactions between CMC and PVA, and which play a key role in the water-stimuli responsive properties. This study provides a relatively simple and low cost way to obtain water-induced multifunction materials.