Smart materials: Metal cations regulate thermoresponsive polymers

Often referred to as smart materials, temperature-responsive or thermoresponsive polymers are gaining attention for their ability to respond to external temperature changes, allowing for an extensive range of applications. Making this smart material even smarter by improving the flexibility of its response to temperature, Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed a novel polymer, the thermoresponsiveness of which can easily be regulated by changing the type and mixing ratio of ionic species. Their findings were published in Macromolecules.