Shape memory materials

Shape memory materials Shape memory materials (SMMs) are featured by the ability to recover their original shape from a significant and seemingly plastic deformation when a particular stimulus is applied(1). This is known as the shape memory effect (SME). Superelasticity (in alloys) or visco-elasticity (in polymers) are also commonly observed under certain conditions. The SME can be utilized in many fields, from aerospace engineering (e. g., in deployable structures and morphing wings) to medical devices (e. g., in stents and filters)(1-4).