What company makes smart polymers?

The major players in the smart polymers market are BASF (Germany), Lubrizol (US), Dow Chemical (US), Evonik (Germany), Advanced Polymer Materials (Canada), Spintech (US), Merck (Germany), Akina (US), SMP Technologies (Japan), Reactive Surfaces (US) and NEI Corporation (US).

What are examples of smart polymers?

Examples of smart polymers are those that undergo rapid, reversible phase changes in response to small changes in environmental conditions. Ista and Lopez employed poly(N-isopropylacryl-amide) (PNIPAAM), a polymer that is soluble in water below, but insoluble above, 32°C.

How is polymer material made?

Polymers are materials made of long, repeating chains of molecules. The materials have unique properties, depending on the type of molecules being bonded and how they are bonded. Some polymers bend and stretch, like rubber and polyester. Others are hard and tough, like epoxies and glass.

When were smart polymers invented?

1988
According to literature, in 1988 researchers at Michigan State University were the first who used electro rheological fluids (ER) to create a smart polymer. Smart polymers changed their viscosity almost instantly in response to electrical currents.

What are the properties and characteristics of smart polymers?

Smart polymers tend to have an all-or-nothing response, and are completely predictable, with the change being uniform throughout the material. They might alter their conformation, adhesiveness or water retention properties, and can return to their initial state when the stimulus ends.

How can different polymers be formed?

Polymers are formed by two main ways called addition and condensation polymerization. In addition, polymerization, an initiator (or catalyst) reacts with a starting monomer. In condensation polymerization, a monomer with an exposed H (hydrogen) atom binds with a monomer with exposed OH (oxygen-hydrogen) atoms.

How are monomers made into polymers?

The monomers combine with each other using covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers. In doing so, monomers release water molecules as byproducts. At the same time, the monomers share electrons and form covalent bonds. As additional monomers join, this chain of repeating monomers forms a polymer.

What is the purpose of smart polymers?

Smart polymers appear in highly specialised applications and everyday products alike. They are used for sensors and actuators such as artificial muscles , the production of hydrogels, biodegradable packaging, and to a great extent in biomedical engineering .

What substances are made up of polymers?

Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms, including, for example, proteins, cellulose, and nucleic acids. Moreover, they constitute the basis of such minerals as diamond, quartz, and feldspar and such man-made materials as concrete, glass, paper, plastics, and rubbers.

What are smart polymers?

Smart polymers are polymers that sense the medium around them. The parameters of the medium induce a conformational change on the polymers, making them swell or contract spontaneously. This phase change changes its whole structure, reaching as far as porosity, diffusion rate, radius in suspension.

How do smart polymer matrices release drugs?

Smart polymer matrices release drugs by a chemical or physiological structure-altering reaction, often a hydrolysis reaction resulting in cleavage of bonds and release of drug as the matrix breaks down into biodegradable components.

What is smart polymer shape change?

Within smart polymers, there are the SCPs, sol hydrogels, for which, after their fabrication, the shape change can only occur between a fixed number of equilibrium shapes (often two) such as swelling and deswelling. This behavior indicates a nonprogrammable shape changing behavior.

What are smart polymer hydrogels?

When a smart polymer is cross-linked to form a gel, it will collapse and reswell in water as a stimulus raises or lowers it through its critical condition. PNIPAAm hydrogels have been extensively studied, starting with the pioneering work of Toyoichi Tanaka in 1981 (Tanaka, 1981 ).

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