Shape Memory Polymers, Blends, and Composites: Processing, Properties, and Applications
Chitte Prem Kumar, N. Sivanagaraju, Devada Loknath, G. Naga Mallikarjun Rao, M. R. K. Vakkalagadda
Abstract
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have emerged as a revolutionary class of smart materials with enormous potential for applications in engineering and science. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review, examining their processing techniques, compositions, characteristics, and applications. It also looks at different shape memory polymer materials, blends, and composites in a critical way by looking at their features and improved mechanical, thermal, electrical, and other properties. It discusses all reinforcements, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and metal nanoparticles, used in earlier studies and their impact on various shape memory composites and their properties. Recent trends in research related to shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) have focused on providing solutions to these problems by adding fillers or reinforcements and/or combining them with other polymers. Further, it provides major applications of SMPS in biomedical, aerospace, smart textiles, sensors, and self-healing materials. A detailed review of all these applications, along with their challenges also discussed thoroughly. This review helps in providing a bridge between existing knowledge and future directions of SMPs and composites involve developing multi-stimuli responsive materials, improving material properties using hybrid reinforcements, developing complex shape recovery mechanisms, including self-healing and functional futures in emerging areas like biomedical, soft robotics, and other applications.