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Externally Induced Thermal Actuation of Polymer Nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Hu Ying,
Chen Wei
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.201100068
Subject(s) - nanomaterials , nanocomposite , polymer , materials science , thermal , polymer nanocomposite , nanotechnology , smart polymer , composite material , physics , meteorology
Among the stimuli responsive polymers, thermally active polymers have attracted great attention because of the accessible and effective characteristics of thermal stimulation. Nanomaterials with their unique properties could serve as “nanoantennas” and “nanoheaters” for harvesting external energy such as electrical, optical, and magnetic, and then convert them into useful thermal energy. With a uniform mixture of the nanomaterials, an external stimulus which has no impact on the thermally responsive polymers could effectively induce the mechanical actuation of polymer nanocomposites. Hence, the trend article aims to present a brief overview of recent progress on the externally induced thermal actuation of polymer nanocomposites as well as provide a summary of the thermal actuation mechanisms. Examples are introduced to highlight the influence of embedded nanomaterials during the actuation progress.