Memory polymer coatings for smart textiles

Memory polymers have drawn wide attention, particularly owing to their active functionality triggered by various stimuli, superior process capability, soft mechanical properties, tailor-made switches, high recoverability, low weight, and easy manufacturing process. Coatings with memory polymers on woven, knitted, braided, and even nonwoven fabrics exhibit attractive and smart functions such as switchable color changing for aesthetics or protection, controllable wettability, breathable fabrics, and so on and for wide application areas related to the consumer, industrial, architectural, medical, and military fields. This chapter first introduces widely used memory polymers in smart coatings based on structure and memory mechanism classifications. Then function and coating mechanisms will be discussed from the aspects of smart wettability control, self-healing liquid repellents, breathability, and aesthetic surfaces. In the conclusion, future trends will be addressed.