Influence of nanofiller addition on the mechanical, thermal, and shape recovery behavior of shape memory polymer nanocomposite: A brief review

Abstract

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are macromolecules that exhibit a shape memory effect due to linear chains and crosslinking sites. SMPs may alter structure, size, stiffness, and form in response to external stimuli. The neat SMP has low mechanical and thermal properties, which may be improved by adding nanofillers called shape memory polymer nanocomposite (SMPNC). The current review study performs an in-depth investigation of the mechanical, thermal, and shape recovery behavior of SMPNC. The significance of the research highlights that the addition of nanofiller has a positive impact on safe fixity, but it has little impact on the shape recovery behavior of the SMPNC. It was observed that the addition of nanofiller and their concentration improves the mechanical and thermal properties.. The SMPNC has potential uses in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, biomedical engineering, smart textiles, tactile devices, and robotics.