Executive Summary : | Designing and fabrication of “smart” amphiphilic polymeric materials are very essential for their growing applications in the biomedical field. Recently, polymerization has been used for preparation of block copolymers their responsive behavior originates from combined properties of two or more monomeric units attached. Apart from these properties, polymerization can also regulate the phase transition temperature of thermoresponsive polymers (TRPs). Therefore, phase transition temperature can be optimized by keeping thorough behavioral motifs in mind before copolymerization. Apart from changing the phase transition temperature, copolymerization can also tailor biocompatibility, processability, and soft mechanical properties. Based on the properties of corresponding blocks used in copolymerization; “on-off” switching behavior (stimuli response) can be of different types such as aggregate formation, micelles formation, core shell particles, capsules, films, order-disorder transition, and vesicles. Copolymerization has been an escalating tool for ameliorating the applications of responsive polymers.In this modern era, scientists and researchers intend to develop novel “smart” functional polymer surface systems that can be used for more than one purpose and application. Among the disparities in the diversified approaches to NMs, TRPs will create great awareness of novel ‘smart’ materials fabrication. Studies on the interactions between TRPs and co-solvents such as ionic liquids, proteins and osmolytes have been studied extensively by various researchers. However, very little is known about the influence of nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles with different shapes (AuNPs), on the aggregation behaviour of TRPs, such as thermoresponsive diblock copolymers, thermoresponsive brushes, and gels (macro gels, microgels and nanogels). Moreover, no studies have been performed for studying the influence of metal organic framework (MOF), graphitic carbon nitride and MXenes on the stimuli responsive polymeric materials. Additionally, application of these nanocomposites in biotechnology is rarely carried out. Due to important individual applications of nanomaterials and synthetic polymers, a relatively new area of research in the nanomaterial-polymer mixed system emerges which plays characteristic multifaceted role in the polymer and material science. Studying different molecular interactions between nanomaterials/polymers and designing smart nano composites according to the specific requirements of different fields are of crucial importance for various applications including implanted devices, biochemical engineering and separation sciences. Already proven potential of individual systems (nanomaterial and polymer) inspires us to fulfil the quest for analyzing the functionality and performance in mixed systems with a deep desire in understanding fundamental underlings. This motivates us to address these questions through the present research proposal. |