Review of Magnetic Shape Memory Polymers and Magnetic Soft Materials

Magnetic soft materials (MSMs) and magnetic shape memory polymers (MSMPs) have been some of the most intensely investigated newly developed material types in the last decade, thanks to the great and versatile potential of their innovative characteristic behaviors such as remote and nearly heatless shape transformation in the case of MSMs. With regard to a number of properties such as shape recovery ratio, manufacturability, cost or programming potential, MSMs and MSMPs may exceed conventional shape memory materials such as shape memory alloys or shape memory polymers. Nevertheless, MSMs and MSMPs have not yet fully touched their scientific-industrial potential, basically due to the lack of detailed knowledge on various aspects of their constitutive response. Therefore, MSMs and MSMPs have been developed slowly but their importance will undoubtedly increase in the near future. This review emphasizes the development of MSMs and MSMPs with a specific focus on the role of the magnetic particles which affect the shape memory recovery and programming behavior of these materials. In addition, the synthesis and application of these materials are addressed.