About cookies on this site Our websites require some cookies to function properly (required). In addition, other cookies may be used with your consent to analyze site usage, improve the user experience and for advertising. For more information, please review your options. By visiting our website, you agree to our processing of information as described in IBM’sprivacy statement. To provide a smooth navigation, your cookie preferences will be shared across the IBM web domains listed here.
Publication
Nature Materials
Paper
Stimuli-responsive polymers: Engineering interactions
Abstract
The search for stimuli-responsive materials challenges researchers to creatively engineer polymers at the molecular level to address the future needs. Molecular interactions also take place at cellular surfaces to stimulate a number of events including cell signaling, and endocytosis. Cameron Alexander of University of Nottingham, described the use carbohydrate-bearing polymer vesicles to interact with bacteria, and thereby, decipher the language cells used to communicate. Polymers such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(oligoethylene glycol methacrylate) possess a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) that represents the temperature above which the polymer phase separates from the solution. Robert Moore and Heino Finkelmann have reported synthetic polymer systems that behave as artificial muscles.