Shape-Memory Polymers and Multifunctional Composites

Admired for their extraordinary stimuli-sensitive behavior and shape-changing capabilities, shape-memory polymers (SMPs) and multifunctional composites are among the most important smart materials. They continue to be widely applied in many diverse fields to create things such as self-deployable spacecraft structures, morphing structures, SMP foams, smart textiles, and intelligent medical devices.

Written by renowned authors, Shape-Memory Polymers and Multifunctional Composites is a broad overview of the systematic progress associated with this emerging class of materials. The book presents an overview of SMPs and a detailed discussion of their structural, thermo-mechanical, and electrical properties, and their applications in fields including aeronautics, astronautics, biomedicine, and the automotive industry. Covering topics ranging from synthesis procedures to ultimate applications, this is a sound instructional text that serves as a guide to smart materials and offers an in-depth exploration of multifunctional SMPs and SMP composites, outlining their important role in the materials field.

In each chapter, industry experts discuss different key aspects of novel smart materials, from their properties and fabrication to the actuation approaches used to trigger shape recovery. This comprehensive analysis explores the different functions of SMPs, the fundamentals behind them, and the ways in which polymers may reshape product design in general.

Contents

Overview of Shape-Memory Polymers, M. Behl and A. Lendlein

The Structural Variety of Shape-Memory Polymers, H.-Y. Jiang and A.M. Schmidt

Thermomechanical Behavior and Modeling Approaches, H.J. Qi and M.L. Dunn

Thermomechanical Characterizations of Shape-Memory Polymers (Dual/Triple-Shape) and Modeling Approaches, K. Kratz, W. Wagermaier, M. Heuchel, and A. Lendlein

Electrical, Thermomechanical and Shape-Memory Properties of the PU Shape-Memory Polymer, W.M. Huang and B. Yang

Multifunctional Shape Memory Polymers and Actuation Methods, J. Leng, H. Lu and S. Du

Shape Memory Polymer Composites, J. Leng, X. Lan and S. Du

Applications of Shape Memory Polymers in Aerospace, Y. Liu and J. Leng

Shape Memory Polymer Foam and Applications, W.M. Sokolowski

Shape Memory Polymer Textile, J. Hu

Applications of Shape Memory Polymers in Biomedicine, W.M. Sokolowski and J. Leng

Novel Applications and Future of Shape Memory Polymers, W.M. Huang

Index