Multi Stimuli Responsive Polymer Materials: Particles, Films, and Bulk Gels.
Stimuli responsive polymers have received tremendous attention from scientists and engineers for several decades due to the wide applications of these smart materials in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Driven by the complex functions of living systems, multi stimuli responsive polymer materials have been designed and developed in recent years. Compared with conventional single or dual stimuli based polymer materials, multi stimuli responsive polymer materials would be more intriguing since more functions and finer modulations can be achieved through more parameters. This critical review highlights the recent advances in this area and focuses on three types of multi stimuli responsive polymer materials, namely, multi stimuli responsive particles (micelles, micro/nanogels, vesicles, and hybrid particles) multi stimuli responsive films (polymer brushes, layer by layer polymer films, and porous membranes) and multi stimuli responsive bulk gels (hydrogels, organogels, and metallogels) from recent publications. Various stimuli, such as light, temperature, pH, reduction/oxidation, enzymes, ions, glucose, ultrasound, magnetic fields, mechanical stress, solvent, voltage, and electrochemistry, have been combined to switch the functions of polymers. The polymer design, preparation, and function of multi stimuli responsive particles, films, and bulk gels are comprehensively discussed here.
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