High performance shape memory polymer networks based on rigid nanoparticle cores
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Cell BiologyDepartment of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2010-04-09Keywords
Body Temperature*Hot Temperature
*Models, Molecular
*Molecular Conformation
Nanoparticles
Organosilicon Compounds
Polymers
Tissue Engineering
Orthopedics
Rehabilitation and Therapy
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Smart materials that can respond to external stimuli are of widespread interest in biomedical science. Thermal-responsive shape memory polymers, a class of intelligent materials that can be fixed at a temporary shape below their transition temperature (T(trans)) and thermally triggered to resume their original shapes on demand, hold great potential as minimally invasive self-fitting tissue scaffolds or implants. The intrinsic mechanism for shape memory behavior of polymers is the freezing and activation of the long-range motion of polymer chain segments below and above T(trans), respectively. Both T(trans) and the extent of polymer chain participation in effective elastic deformation and recovery are determined by the network composition and structure, which are also defining factors for their mechanical properties, degradability, and bioactivities. Such complexity has made it extremely challenging to achieve the ideal combination of a T(trans) slightly above physiological temperature, rapid and complete recovery, and suitable mechanical and biological properties for clinical applications. Here we report a shape memory polymer network constructed from a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanoparticle core functionalized with eight polyester arms. The cross-linked networks comprising this macromer possessed a gigapascal-storage modulus at body temperature and a T(trans) between 42 and 48 degrees C. The materials could stably hold their temporary shapes for > 1 year at room temperature and achieve full shape recoverySource
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Apr 27;107(17):7652-7. Epub 2010 Apr 7. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1073/pnas.0912481107Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/42957PubMed ID
20375285Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1073/pnas.0912481107