Driving degradation within biodegradable polymers with embedded nanoparticles

The ability to controllably trigger breaking of chemical bonds enables a substance that has robust material properties during use but can be re-worked or deteriorated upon command.~~Photothermal heating creates intense local heat at isolated nanoparticle locations within a sample and can result in very different material responses than those achievable with conventional (uniform) heating.~~In this process, irradiation with visible light resonant with the nanoparticle's surface plasmon resonance results in dramatic local heating of the particles and the surrounding material.~~This work studies intentional thermal degradation of poly ethyl cyanoacrylate-starch composites doped with metal nanoparticles, and explores differences in degradation speed, efficiency, and resultant mechanical properties when heated via the photothermal effect.~