Stimuli-responsive Materials ― From Molecules to Nature Mimicking Materials Design

The ability for a material to change properties in response to external stimuli is an attractive feature for numerous applications and as such stimuli responsive materials are gaining attention across many different fields. This book introduces the concepts of stimuli-responsiveness, including the fundamental materials properties required for design. It provides readers with comprehensive scientific principles and developments of stimuli responsive materials, as well as the recent technological advances. Written by a renowned expert in the field, this book is suitable for anyone interested in stimuli responsive materials working in polymers, biochemistry, biotechnology and materials science.

Prof. Dr. Marek W. Urban is internationally and nationally recognized scientist in the area of polymeric stimuli-responsive films and coatings. He is professor of polymer science and engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi and former director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). He graduated from Marquette University (MS), Michigan Tech (PhD), and did a post doc at Case Western Reserve University. He has authored over 300 research papers, three books, and edited 8 American Chemical Society Advances in Chemistry Series books and one by Wiley-VCH. He chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Polymer Films and Coatings and is the recipient of numerous awards. Current focus of his research is on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials as well as molecular processes governing their behaviour as well as the role of nano-shapes in heterogeneous networks are of particular interest.