Chapter 1 - Introduction to smart polymers and their application

Abstract

Adaptation is the key feature that permits the living system to respond to the external environment and get accustomed to the changing conditions. In a similar way, scientists have tried to develop polymers that could mold themselves according to the external/surrounding changes (stimulus) and form a more compatible system. This leads to the emergence of “smart polymers” that undergo physical or chemical changes in response to small environmental changes (temperature, light, pH, etc.), which proves the versatility as well as the sensitivity of the smart polymers. It could be stated that smart polymers lead to the development of much tunable, programmable, and accurate systems. Smart polymers were extensively used in the field of biomedicine which includes tissue engineering, the cell culture system, drug delivery system, sensors or actuators, and biomedical devices. This chapter provides a wide overview of smart polymers and the most interesting applications developed so far.