SMPs have been shown to actuate below their dry glass transition temperatures in the presence of moisture due to plasticization. This behavior has been proposed as a self-actuating mechanism of SMPs in water/physiological media. However, control over the SMP actuation rate, a critical factor for in vivo transcatheter device delivery applications, has not been previously reported. Here, a series of polyurethane SMPs with systematically varied hydrophobicity is described that permits control of the time for their complete shape recovery in water from under 2 min to more than 24 h. This control over the SMP actuation rate can potentially provide significant improvement in their delivery under conditions, which may expose them to high-moisture environments prior to actuation.
Keywords: actuation rate; biomaterials; hydrophobicity; polyurethanes; shape-memory foams.