Mechanisms of the Shape Memory Effect in Polymeric Materials

Xuelian Wu,Wei Huang,Jiliang Zhang,Cheng Tang,Zheng Ding,Yong Zhao

doi:10.3390/polym5041169

Xuelian Wu, Wei Huang + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym5041169

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Journal: Polymers	Publication Date: Sep 30, 2013
Citations: 109	License type: CC BY 3.0

Affiliation: Jiangsu University, Nanyang Technological University

Abstract

This review paper summarizes the recent research progress in the underlying mechanisms behind the shape memory effect (SME) and some newly discovered shape memory phenomena in polymeric materials. It is revealed that most polymeric materials, if not all, intrinsically have the thermo/chemo-responsive SME. It is demonstrated that a good understanding of the fundamentals behind various types of shape memory phenomena in polymeric materials is not only useful in design/synthesis of new polymeric shape memory materials (SMMs) with tailored performance, but also helpful in optimization of the existing ones, and thus remarkably widens the application field of polymeric SMMs.

Highlights

The shape memory effect (SME) refers to the following interesting phenomenon, i.e., after being severely and quasi-plastically distorted, a material is able to recover its original shape at the presence of the right stimulus [1,2,3]
From an energy point of view, the difference between the SME and shape change effect (SCE) is due to the magnitude of energy barrier between two states, in which one is with, while the other is without, the presence of the right stimulus [3]
The purpose of this paper is to present a brief review about the underlying working mechanisms for various commonly observed shape memory phenomena in polymers

Summary

Introduction

The shape memory effect (SME) refers to the following interesting phenomenon, i.e., after being severely and quasi-plastically distorted, a material is able to recover its original shape at the presence of the right stimulus [1,2,3]. (II) PLA: (a) original shape; (b) after expansion at high temperatures; and (c) after heating for shape recovery. (III) EVA: (a) original star shape; (b) after expansion into circular shape at high temperatures; and (c) after heating for shape recovery. The SME is fundamentally different from another commonly observed phenomenon, namely, the shape change effect (SCE), in which a material returns its original shape either instantly or gradually when the applied stimulus is removed [4,5].

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