This book covers aspects of synthetic 'flash' systems, now and in future, and examines the natural systems that respond almost instantly to environmental stimuli, giving the reader an understanding of the mechanisms governing them.

Examining several natural systems that respond rapidly to environmental stimuli, this book provides an understanding of the mechanisms that govern these responses. It considers limitations of reflexive systems, by investigating model systems where selected interactions of specific components are evaluated to determine theoretical limits of response rates and cycle time. The text characterizes the status of artificially prepared materials that could have both thermodynamic and kinetic response events and explores potential future applications of such systems. It includes chapters on how to design synthetic reflexive systems and discusses potential applications in biomedical and pharmaceutical areas.