Shape memory polymers (SMP's) are a class of materials that can be stimulated to actuate from a programmed, secondary metastable geometry to a primary geometry. This entropy driven process can be stimulated in a variety of ways, but this work focuses on thermally actuated SMPs, which actuate over a characteristic transition temperature [1,2]. This shape memory effect has been utilized to create devices with intricate geometries that are compressible to diameters small enough for delivery into the body via microcatheter. Once delivered to the target anatomy, the devices can be actuated to restore their primary shape and perform a therapeutic function. This approach has been previously implemented for the design of devices such as stents, thrombectomy devices, and laser stimulated micro-actuators [2,3].
SMPs have also been proposed to serve as embolic agents when they are synthesized as foam [2]. These...
