Recent Advances in Shape Memory Soft Materials for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart and adaptive materials able to recover their shape through an external stimulus. This functionality, combined with the good biocompatibility of polymers, has garnered much interest for biomedical applications. In this review, we discuss the design considerations critical to the successful integration of SMPs for use in vivo. We also highlight recent work on three classes of SMPs: shape memory polymers and blends, shape memory polymer composites, and shape memory hydrogels. These developments open the possibility of incorporating SMPs into device design, which can lead to vast technological improvements in the biomedical field.

Synergistic effects of zwitterionic segments and a silane coupling agent on zwitterionic shape memory polyurethanes

“…[1][2][3] Until now, various stimuli, such as light, heat, moisture, and pH value, have been used to adjust the macroscopic properties of SMPs. [4][5][6] In comparison with shape memory alloys and shape memory ceramics, SMPs have advantages of light-weight, good biocompatibility, high deformability, and easy adjustment of shape recovery temperature.…”

Shape memory behavior of carbon nanotube‐reinforced trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene and low‐density polyethylene composites

“…As important smart materials, SMPs have received considerable attention in academic research and industrial applications. SMPs have many merits over conventional shape memory alloys and ceramics, such as easy processing, structural versatility, large shape deformability, and low manufacturing cost, which has expanded their applications in self‐healing, intelligent textiles, deployable aerospace structures, and biomedical treatments …”

Multiple shape memory effects of trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene and low‐density polyethylene blends

“…Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials that can maintain temporary shapes and recover their initial shape under an appropriate external stimulus, such as temperature, light, pH, solvent or electric field . Compared with conventional shape memory materials, such as shape memory alloys and shape memory ceramics, SMPs possess the merits of superior process capacity, low cost, structural versatility, low density and high shape deformability, which mean that SMPs have great potential in applications in biomedical treatments, aerospace, intelligent textiles, sensors and self‐repairing materials …”

“…SMPs have been shown to be deformed by an applied external force above T trans and to have their temporary shapes fixed by cooling below T trans , induced by the molecular mobility of the reversible domain in SMPs. When the temperature is again elevated above T trans , the SMPs contract to their original shape due to the entropic elasticity of the molecular chains, usually referred to as the one‐way shape memory effect (SME) …”