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.

Linear/network poly(ε-caprolactone) blends exhibiting shape memory assisted self-healing (SMASH).

Self-healing (SH) polymers are responsive polymeric materials that can repair mechanical damage such as cracks in an autonomous fashion. In most SH polymers studies reported to date, crack closure was either unaddressed or achieved by manual intervention. Here, we report a new strategy that utilizes shape memory (SM) to prepare novel SH polymers that are capable of simultaneously closing and rebonding cracks with a simple thermal trigger.