Biocompatible liquid-crystal elastomers mimic the intervertebral disc.

The hierarchical and anisotropic mechanical behavior requirement of load-bearing soft tissues limits the utility of conventional elastomeric materials as a replacement for soft-tissue materials. Liquid-crystal elastomers (LCEs) have the potential to excel in this regard owing to its unique combination of mesogenic order in an elastomeric network. In this study, the mechanical behavior of the LCEs relevant to load-bearing biomedical applications was explored.

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction.

This study presents a novel two-stage thiol-acrylate Michael addition-photopolymerization (TAMAP) reaction to prepare main-chain liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) with facile control over network structure and programming of an aligned monodomain. Tailored LCE networks were synthesized using routine mixing of commercially available starting materials and pouring monomer solutions into molds to cure. An initial polydomain LCE network is formed via a self-limiting thiol-acrylate Michael-addition reaction.

Mechanically programmed shape change in laminated elastomeric composites.

Soft, anisotropic materials, such as myocardium in the heart and the extracellular matrix surrounding cells, are commonly found in nature. This anisotropy leads to specialized responses and is imperative to material functionality, yet few soft materials exhibiting similar anisotropy have been developed. Our group introduced an anisotropic shape memory elastomeric composite (A-SMEC) composed of non-woven, aligned polymer fibers embedded in an elastomeric matrix.

Properties of triple shape memory composites prepared via polymerization-induced phase separation.

Research in the field of shape memory polymers has recently witnessed the introduction of increasing complexity of material response, including such phenomena as triple/multishape behavior, temperature memory, and reversible actuation. Ordinarily, such complexity in physical behaviour is achieved through comparable complexity in material composition and synthesis. Seeking to achieve a triple shape behaviour with a simple route to materials synthesis, we introduce here a method that utilizes polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) to yield the requisite combination of microstructure and composition.

Fabrication of a light-emitting shape memory polymeric web containing indocyanine green.

Dye-containing polymers are highly desired for a number of commercially and medically relevant applications, such as sensors, medical devices, and drug delivery. In particular, dyes that emit light in the NIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum are of great interest due to the window of transparency for mammalian soft tissue in this range. While the incorporation of dyes into polymeric hosts by diffusion is a method that has been widely used, this approach is problematic in that it lacks uniformity and control over the incorporation.