Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Nanocomposites and their Applications

As technology globally embraces “smart” features, the polymer industry has acquired some advanced creations, including the development of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) characterized by smart or intelligent properties. These smart features originate from the ability of these materials to respond to external cues such as pH, temperature, stress, light, electricity, magnetism, chemical environments, etc., facilitating their end use as flexible electronic or motion sensors, shape recognizable polymers, and self-healable materials. The sensitivity of the materials can be hierarchical within the polymer matrix or can be adventitiously introduced by the nanomaterials resulting in a combined system that reflects some additional characteristics. This chapter aims to highlight the various aspects of stimuli-responsive smart PNCs; including a brief overview of the fabrication methods of PNCs using different polymer matrices such as polyurethanes, polyesters, epoxy resins, hydrogels, etc., and various advanced metal- or carbon-based nanomaterials. The authentication methods as well as various sophisticated attributes of these materials are highlighted in the chapter. In turn, the numerous applications of these PNCs in real-world scenarios are also discussed briefly. Thus, the chapter represents an attempt to illustrate the fabrication methods of PNCs and their frontline applications that help in understanding their future possibilities in the area of material sciences.

Keywords: Drug delivery, Electro responsive, Magneto responsive, Mechanical, Nanostructure, Optical, pH-responsive, Photo-responsive, Polymer nanocomposites, Sensors, Solubility, Thermal stability, Thermo-responsive.