Advantages of SMPs:

They have a high capacity for elastic deformation (up to 200% in most cases), much lower cost,
lower density, a broad range of application temperatures which can be tailored, easy processing,
potential biocompatibility and biodegradability, and probably exhibit superior mechanical
properties than SMAs.

MATERIAL/PROPERTY TI/NI SHAPE MEMORY SHAPE MEMORY

ALLOY POLYMER

Recovery Stress 200-400 MPa 1-3 MPa

Recovery strain 6% 50-600%
At low temperature Soft (El) Hard (El=100Eh)
At high temperature Hard (Eh = 2El) Soft (Eh)
Density 6-7 g/cm3 1 g/cm3
Phase transformations Martensitic, R-phase Glass Transition
Shaping Difficult Easy
Cost Expensive Cheap
Heat conductivity High Low

Disadvantages of SMPs Compared to Shape Memory Alloys:

The comparison of properties of SMPs and shape memory alloys (SMAs) in Table 2 indicate the
majority of advantages and disadvantages of these classes of shape memory materials. Polymers
are less dense than metallic alloys and therefore offer a weight advantage per unit volume of
material.
The constrained force that can be generated from SMPs is a fraction of the constrained force that
can be generated by SMAs, while the recovery strains are orders of magnitude higher. The
change in elastic modulus of SMPs is reversible without hysteresis in the vicinity of the Tg. That
is, there is a monotonic relationship between temperature and elastic modulus. This is not
observed for SMAs.
SMPs exhibit ease of processibility (formability and workability) and are lower in cost than
SMAs. The thermal conductivity of SMPs is much lower than the thermal conductivity of SMAs.
It is a disadvantage if an SMP is used in an application where heat flow into or out of the
polymer in a short period of time is desirable. One approach to overcoming the low thermal
conductivity of SMPs is to use SMP foams. The high permeability of foams allows them to be
heated and cooled quickly compared to solid polymeric materials.

Ongoing research:
1) Presently we have shape memory polymers which can remember one shape. Now people
are trying to develop the shape memory polymers which can remember more than
position. The polymer can shift between two positions. This could lead to artificial
muscle.
2) New kinds of SMPN. Prospective SMPN may cover two-way SMPN, thermosetting
SMPN, and SMPN with diverse structure, etc.

3) Multifunctional SMPN and broad applications. Except for shape memory effect, some
functional materials can be added into the SMPN, which will possibly induce novel
functions and applications in the future. In particular, shape memory scaffolds with high
porosity and specific surface area that have also found potential for use in tissue
engineering in the future. The traditionally used structures are static physical structures
and poorly suited to mimicking the complex dynamic behavior of in vivo
microenvironments. Shape memory nanofibers provide an attractive class of supports for
biotechnology and tissue engineering thanks to their large surface areas and small
diameters.