Photodeformable polymers: A new kind of promising smart material for micro- and nano-applications

Starting in the 1960s, several kinds of photodeformable polymers have been developed, such as monolayers, polymer gels, solid films elastomers with different photodeformation mechanisms. This field evolved slowly until recently when significant achievements have been made. Most recently, Lendlein and co-morkers have put forward another new concept - using photo-crosslinking to prepare deformable polymers with various pre-determined shapes (Nature 2005, 434, 879). This highlight gives a general introduction into photodeformable polymers and brings forth future challenges.