Photoresponsive Polymers

Photoresponsive polymers have gained specific attention because of tuning their physicochemical properties upon induction of a certain wavelength of light. Generally, such polymeric materials are prepared by incorporation of photosensitive moieties in the polymer structure. Photoresponsivity of smart polymers could be reversible, irreversible, and dynamic depending on the nature of the light-sensitive group incorporated in the chain structure. These photoresponsive polymers are mainly used as photoluminescent polymers, photochromic polymers, photocleavable polymers, photocross-linkable polymers, and photoadaptable polymers based on the response type and chemical reaction of the light-sensitive species. This chapter provides a brief and conclusive review of these types of photoresponsive polymers with the main focus on their different characteristics, which are chromism, fluorescence emission, cleavage, cross-linking, and also exchange reactions. These characteristics could be reversible, irreversible, and dynamic responses to light irradiation. Finally, critical insights in this field and its future advances are discussed.