Construction, characterization, properties and multifunctional applications of stimuli-responsive shape memory polymeric nanoarchitectures: a review

Due to the advent of nanotechnology, deficiencies and limitations inherent in stimuli-responsive shape memory polymeric matrices (SMP), have been effectively mitigated, through the inclusion of a versatile range of organic or inorganic nanoparticulates within the confines of SMP matrice/s. This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of shape-memory polymeric nanoarchitectures (SMPNs) possessing enhanced and outstanding properties, when compared with the pristine SMP, and this has subsequently enlarged their scope of applications (civil engineering, biomedical gadgets, aerospace, bionics engineering, energy, electronic engineering, household products, and textile engineering). Furthermore, SMPNs enhances athermal stimuli-activities including electroactivity, magneto-activity, water-activity, and photo-activity, as well as shape memory effect (SME) including multiple-shape memory effect (MSME), spatial shape memory effect (SSME), as well as dual-route shape memory effect (DRSME). This elucidation is essential and imperative at this time to enlighten the polymeric universe on new advancements in fabrication, features and applications of stimuli responsive SMPNs. Therefore, this paper, presents, very recently emerging advancements, in construction, characterization, properties and multifunctional applications of stimuli-responsive SMPNs with special emphasis on carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanofibers (CNF), cellulose nanocrystals, and nanoclay reinforced SMPNs.