Stimuli-responsive star polymers

Stimuli-responsive star polymers gain more and more interest over the last decades due to their unique properties compared to their linear counterparts. The branched structure for instance has influence on the responsive behavior of these polymers. This review offers an overview of stimuli-responsive star polymers generated by different polymerization techniques, e.g. anionic and controlled radical polymerization (CRP). Beside conventional branched homopolymers different other types like block copolymers, miktoarm star copolymers, core crosslinked star polymers (CCS) and comb polymers are also presented. Furthermore their responsive behavior in solution or immobilized on a substrate, and their applications are outlined. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2980-2994