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Structure-Property Relationships In Novel Electrospun Composites For Advanced Applications, Melodie Lawton

Dissertations - ALL

Active polymeric materials that alter shape in response to an external stimulus offer unique avenues for the design and study of dynamic structures. This research focused on developing elastomeric polymer composites with multiple functionalities by exploring the design and properties for various applications including controlled drug delivery and shape memory.

The first part of this dissertation describes the fabrication and characterization of a soft, elastomeric polymeric composite with inherent shape memory properties capable of localized, long-term tunable drug release. In Chapter 2, the fibers were loaded with a hydrophilic drug model, Rhodamine B, and embedded within a siloxane-based elastomeric matrix …