Multifunctional 3D shape-memory materials
Chinese scientists have found a simple way to produce multifunctional 3D materials by developing a polymer scaffold that ‘remembers’ its shape and can be used as a host for functional nanoparticles.
The shape-memory polymer scaffold can host a wide range of functional nanoparticles, enabling the formation of materials with many different functions. The robust sponge-like scaffold is formed from chitosan by ice-templating. Chitosan regains its shape when placed into water after it has been compressed or dried. When placed in a nanoparticle solution, the compressed scaffold becomes coated in the nanoparticles as it swells, through electrostatic interactions with the chitosan. Synergistic functions can be created by adding two different types of nanoparticles at the same time. This simple method can be used with a wide variety of nanoparticles to create 3D shape-memory materials with properties ranging from magnetism to antibacterial activity and fluorescence.
Original publication
H-L Gao et al, Mater. Horiz., 2013
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