Shape Memory Polymers and Their Nanocomposites in Biomedical Engineering

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) and their nanocomposites as a significant type of smart materials have attracted the attention of many researchers in recent decades due to their promising applications in fields such as biomedicine, aerospace, smart textiles, and robotics. SMPs are capable of reversible deformation under various external stimuli like heat, electric/magnetic fields, pH, etc. This capability, along with the good biocompatibility of polymers and the biodegradability of some polymers has gained great potential for use in many biomedical applications such as tissue engineering scaffolds, drug-eluting stents, self-tightening sutures, and drug delivery systems. Also, the shape-memory property of SMPs allows medical devices to be folded into minimal volume, which makes them easily implanted in the body and recover their original shape. A brief review of the classification, architecture, mechanism of action, and design considerations of these SMPs is presented in this paper, followed by a discussion of recent studies on their use in biomedical applications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Shape memory polymers ، Smart polymer nanocomposites ، Biomedical applications ، Shape-memory property