03-Mar-17 The global smart polymers market was valued at US$881.66 mln in 2015 and is expected to reach US$2,948.81 mln by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 22.29%, during the forecast period of 2016-2021, as per Orbis Research. Smart polymers are high-performance polymers that change their properties according to even a slight change in the environment that they are acting in. Such materials can be sensitive to factors such as temperature, humidity, pH, the wavelength or intensity of light or an electrical or magnetic field. They can respond in various ways, like altering color or transparency, becoming conductive or permeable to water or changing shape (shape memory polymers). By Type, the market is segmented into:
• Physical Stimuli-Responsive (Thermo-Responsive Polymers, Photo-Responsive Polymers, Shape Memory Polymers, and Electroactive & Magnetically-Responsive Polymers)
• Chemical Stimuli-Responsive (Ph-Responsive Polymers), Biological Stimuli-Responsive (Enzymes-Responsive Polymers),
• Self-Healing Polymers, and Others.
Interest in smart polymers is steadily gaining momentum, especially in the fields of controlled and self-regulated drug delivery. Smart polymers are becoming progressively relevant in the field of protein and peptide delivery, as researchers are learning ways to take advantage of their interesting properties and control them. Each type of delivery system has a specific advantage, in particular, to the sustained protein delivery. Certain important properties that affect the drug release and mechanical strength of the polymeric delivery system include hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance, polymer chain length, molecular weight, polymer structure, and architecture, among others. Biodegradability and biocompatibility are the two most important characteristics of polymers that have to be considered for their in vivo application.
The market is driven by factors such as rising application of shape memory polymer in the automotive industry and growing usage of smart polymers as substitutes for traditional polymers in various applications. However, this market faces certain drawbacks, such as premium pricing of the technology that is used to manufacture smart polymers and a dearth of usage in the emerging economies. The aforementioned factors act as a roadblock to the growth of the market. Furthermore, the consistently increasing applications of smart polymers are expected to offer numerous opportunities to the growth of global smart polymers market
Increasing usage of smart polymers in automotive, healthcare, packaging, radioactive waste, molecular gates & switches, glucose sensing, and other applications are expected to offer numerous opportunities for the growth of global smart polymers market.
Previous News
Next News
{{comment.DateTimeStampDisplay}}
{{comment.Comments}}