Smart Polymeric Devices
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2021) | Viewed by 547
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Although Charles Goodyear’s vulcanization of rubber in the 1830s is often seen as the birth of modern elastic materials, it was not until almost a century later that the first real synthetic polymer, polyethylene, came on the market. The real theory behind polymers was developed by Hermann Staudinger, as early as 1920, whose hypotheses concerning macromolecules and polymer chains formed the basis of the polymeric knowledge we possess today. Meanwhile, a large variety of polymeric materials began to emerge and influenced nearly every field of daily living, from space shuttles to floor tiling. However, once polymerized, the physical and chemical properties were cast into the material for the duration of its lifetime. Thus, polymeric products were predestined to an “inactive” fate. So, the time has come to “activate” polymers! What we call “smart polymers” are elastic materials whose characteristics can be made to change by some physical external stimulus. There are a number of possible inputs and outputs (mechanical, thermal, magnetic, electric, optical, etc.). The birth of smart polymers possibly dates back to two patents filed in the 1940s, which concerned the combination of dimethylsiloxane and boric acid (Boron–organo–silicon oxide). This resulted in a rheopectic material that was initially marketed as a toy called “silly putty”. Although it is not really a smart material in this basic form, it was found, many years later, to exhibit extremely interesting properties when mixed with ferromagnetic or ferroelectric particles. In the meantime, the majority of smart polymers that have emerged over the past two decades are also silicone-based, particularly poly(dimethylsiloxane). During this time, there has also been a surge in interest in the area of smart polymers and smart polymeric devices. Whether thermally, electrically, or magnetically controlled, such elements are integral in many actuators, dampers, and shape memory devices.
This Special Issue on “smart polymeric devices” is intended to highlight a range of devices based on the use of such materials.
Prof. Dr. Gareth Monkman
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- smart polymers/elastomers
- magnetoactive
- electroactive
- shape memory
- soft robotics
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