Polymers that react to an external stimulus by changing their physical properties (stimuli-responsive polymers, SRP) can be referred to as 'intelligent' or 'smart' materials. The external stimulus can be chemical or physical in nature. Ideally, the response to the stimulus is of three types: First, the stimulus is detected (sensor function), second, it is quantified (processor function), and third, a response behavior (effector function) results. Applications as sensors and actuators are a research focus. In addition, the biocompatibility of these compounds enables them to be used, for example, as a medium for cell cultivation and as a component in tissue engineering. Hydrogels are therefore suitable as a matrix for the formation of mesoporous metal oxides. For the construction of novel nanomaterials, the focus is on polymers that can build up defined superstructures. Parallel investigations are carried out on thin layers as well as on colloidal systems. In this way, materials with novel sensory and actuator properties are created. The nanostructured materials have different areas whose swelling can be addressed separately. On the other hand, cylindrical morphologies can be used to create switchable membranes. In aqueous systems, block copolymers aggregate into micelles whose structure can be fixed by crosslinking. These core-shell nanoparticles are characterized by multi-sensitive behavior. This behavior is used to build novel drug delivery systems. These systems are particularly specific