Thiol- and Disulfide-Based Stimulus-Responsive Soft Materials and Self-Assembling Systems

Abstract

Properties and applications of synthetic thiol- and disulfide-based materials, principally polymers, are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on soft and self-assembling materials in which interconversion of the thiol and disulfide groups initiates stimulus-responses and/or self-healing for biomedical and non-biomedical applications.

Keywords

• stimulus-responsive materials
• self-healing
• redox-responsive
• drug delivery
• thiol-disulfide exchange
• disulfide-disulfide metathesis