Thermochromic polymers can be subclassified into three
groups: 1) polymers which are thermochromic themselves
[1-6]; 2) polymers which become thermochromic
by the incorporation of a thermochromic dopant [7-11]; 3)
polymers which become thermochromic by the interaction
between the polymer matrix and the incorporated
additive system [12-14]. Whereas polymers of the first
and the second group are frequently described in literature
only a few examples of the third group were reported
so far. The thermochromic polymer classes of this
group were developed by creating specific function by
design strategies. This concept bears a high potential for
a purposive development of novel thermochromic polymer
materials.