A new series of biomimetic stimuli-responsive nanocomposites, which change their mechanical properties upon exposure to physiological conditions, was prepared and investigated. The materials were produced by introducing percolating networks of cellulose nanofibers or "whiskers" derived from tunicates into poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA), and blends of these polymers,...

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, ...

A significant amount of academic and industrial research efforts are devoted to the encapsulation of active substances within microor nanocarriers. The ultimate goal of core–shell systems is the protection of the encapsulated substance from the environment, and its controlled and targeted release. This can be accomplished by employing “stimuli-responsive” materials as constituents of the capsul...

Subtle changes in copolymer surfactant architecture and chain-end functionality can induce diverse behaviours in pH-responsive branched copolymer-stabilized emulsions.

We study the elastic deformations in a cross-linked polymer network film triggered by the binding of submicron particles with a sticky surface, mimicking the interactions of viral pathogens with thin films of stimulus-responsive polymeric materials such as hydrogels. From extensive Langevin Dynamics simulations we quantify how far the network deformations propagate depending on the elasticity p...

Objective(s): Today, there is an urgent need for improved sensor materials for drug sensing and effective monitoring and interventions in this area are highly required to struggle drug abuse. The present study aimed to synthesize a thioguanine-responsive sensor based on a nanocomposite consisting of AuNP-grafted light- and temperature-responsive poly butylmethacrylate-co-acrylamide-co-methacryl...

The structure and material properties of polymer networks can depend sensitively on changes in the environment. There is a great deal of progress in the development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels for applications like sensors, self-repairing materials or actuators. Biocompatible, smart hydrogels can be used for applications, such as controlled drug delivery and release, or for artificial muscl...

Stimuli-responsive polymer hydrogels which are capable of responding to changes in their environment such as pH (1), osmotic strength (2), or temperature (3) have received growing attention in recent years for applications in a wide variety of areas including controlled drug delivery (4). Also, due to the size limitations imposed by the body’s natural defense mechanisms, such as the reticuloend...

the rapidly increasing interest in functional materials with reversibly switchable physico- chemical properties has led to significant work on the development of stimuli responsive membranes. thermotropic liquid crystals with their exceptional properties have potentials for drug-delivery applications. thermoresponsive liquid-crystal-embedded membranes were investigated for the purpose of develo...

A polymer gel is a soft and wet material capable of undergoing large deformation. A deformed gel, in turn, changes its chemical potential, behaving as an energy transducer. Thus, a polymer gel shows a variety of stimuli-responsive actions, responding to external environmental changes. In this article unique electrical, thermal, and chemical responses of polymer gels are described. Recently obse...