Inorganic–Organic Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) Foams with Highly Tunable Properties

Abstract

Thermoresponsive shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of smart materials that can return from a temporary to a permanent shape with the application of heat. Porous SMP foams exhibit unique properties versus solid, nonporous SMPs, enabling their utility in different applications, including some in the biomedical field. Reports on SMP foams have focused on those based on organic polymer systems. In this study, we have prepared inorganic–organic SMP foams comprising inorganic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments and organic poly­(ε-caprolactone) PCL segments. The PCL segments served as switching segments to induce shape changing behavior whereas the length of the PDMS soft segment was systematically tuned. SMP foams were formed via the photochemical cure of acrylated (AcO) macromers AcO-PCL40-block-PDMSm-block-PCL40-OAc (m = 0, 20, 37, 66 and 130) using a revised solvent casting/particulate leaching (SCPL) method. By varying the PDMS segment length, PDMS-PCL foams having excellent shape memory behavior were obtained that exhibited highly tunable properties, including pore size, % porosity, compressive modulus, and degradation rate