Emerging applications of stimuli-responsive polymer materials

Abstract

Responsive polymer materials can adapt to surrounding environments, regulate transport of ions and molecules, change wettability and adhesion of different species on external stimuli, or convert chemical and biochemical signals into optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical signals, and vice versa. These materials are playing an increasingly important part in a diverse range of applications, such as drug delivery, diagnostics, tissue engineering and 'smart' optical systems, as well as biosensors, microelectromechanical systems, coatings and textiles. We review recent advances and challenges in the developments towards applications of stimuli-responsive polymeric materials that are self-assembled from nanostructured building blocks. We also provide a critical outline of emerging developments.

Porous polymer particles—A comprehensive guide to synthesis, characterization, functionalization and applications

“…We believe that more interesting applications may emerge if porous particles are designed with stimuli-responsive characteristics in the future [447]. A trigger can be a temperature increase [448], pH change [449], added chemicals [191], external electric [450] and magnetic [223] fields, microwave radiation [451] or light [452].…”

Membrane-Anchoring, Comb-Like Pseudopeptides for Efficient, pH-Mediated Membrane Destabilization and Intracellular Delivery

“…[5][6][7][8] Particular interest has been focused on development of anionic polymers as drug carriers to mimic the pH-dependent membrane disruptive behavior of fusogenic viral peptides. [9][10][11] The polyanions containing both hydrophobic segments and weakly ionizable carboxyl groups can exhibit more favorable biodistribution and significantly lower cytotoxicity compared to polycations.…”

Small-molecule-hosting nanocomposite films with multiple bacteria-triggered responses

“…1,2 For many biomedical applications, however, hydrophilic rather than hydrophobic nanocomposites are of great interest, and responsive properties are essential. 3 Reports on responsive hydrophilic nanocomposites are rare, and those few known to us advantageously use the complementary properties of temperature/pH-responsive polymers and clay nanosheets to yield environmentally controlled free-standing materials. 4 A promising way to leverage the favorable properties of hydrophilic-responsive nanocomposites on surfaces is to use the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique to construct 'smart' surface coatings.…”