Stimuli-Responsive Polymers for Sensing and Reacting to Environmental Conditions

As we enter the age of artificial intelligence (AI), new technologies will be needed to “sample” environmental conditions to provide data to AI systems that will yield a specific response. This review focuses on stimuli-responsive polymers (SRPs), and their ability to react to changes in external environmental conditions by undergoing a physical and/or chemical change. We first describe various methods for SRP synthesis, which leads into a discussion of the mechanism of SRPs response to external conditions, and finally we highlight examples of their use for sensing, biosensing, and actuation. The aim of this review is to familiarize readers with some of the most recent developments in SRP design and application, which we hope will encourage further research in this field that can help overcome some of the current challenges and inspire new and creative applications for these materials.