SHAPE MEMORY POLYMERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Abstract

This thesis describes the author’s research contribution to the topics of SMPs and their applications. The contribution covers a period of 20 years, starting with the author’s doctoral research and continuing with the research that the author subsequently carried out and directed, first as a professor in the Hong Kong polytechnic university and then in the city university of Hong Kong. The studies summarized here involve both experimental and numerical investigation to understand fundamental structure, mechanism, function, and applications of SMPs. The research is presented through the inclusion of 40 publications. All of them were published in scientific journals and are organized in four distinct groups. The first group includes publications on structure, mechanism, and function of SMPs. It includes studies to investigate the relationship between structure, mechanism, and function of SMPs, by designed and prepared different materials with shape memory effect. It also includes the studies of models for the SMEs for different SMPs. The second group contains publications of SMPs for textile applications. The studies are on the preparation of shape memory fiber, mainly focus on shape memory PU and natural wool hair. The sinning method, properties investigation, and theoretical explanation are included. The experiment for the development of shape memory textiles and their applications in the biomedical are also included. The third group consists of publications on SMB of natural biopolymers and their artificial version. The studies on the water sensitive shape memory model of natural biopolymer materials are included. The experiments for the artificial spider silks produced through biological and chemical methods, as well as their hierarchical structure, mechanical performance, SMB and other water responsive properties are also included. Another included topic is the summarizes the water sensitive shape memory phenomenon of other protein-based materials including keratin fibers and collagen skin. An overall summary precedes the publications, which first considers the research presented in each group separately, highlights the main contribution and points out how some of the idea generated have been taken up. A final section of the overall summary remarks the major findings of the research and shows the author’s prospect of future research trends in the topic discussed in this thesis.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Robert Young (Supervisor)