Medical Polymeric Materials
Polymeric Biomaterials
(Mingyu Li z3369978) The use of polymers in biomedical applications is now widely accepted and they are termed with the generic name of polymeric biomaterials. A biomaterial can be defined by their function as a material in contact with living tissue that used to the treatment of disease or injury, and to improve human health by restoring the function of tissue and organs in the body.x Polymeric biomaterials in medicine include surgical sutures, drug delivery vectors, orthopedic devices and implants, and scaffolds for tissue engineering. After decades of research many polymeric biomaterials have been developed from synthetic or natural origin. All the polymeric biomaterials have to be evaluated in terms of their biocompatibility, mechanical properties and biodegradation to determine if they are suitable for specific medical applications. Biocompatibility refers to several characteristics of the biomaterial which leads to the acceptance of the material in the body, such as being non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-allergenic and non-immunogenic. Mechanical properties like elastic modulus, compression modulus, fatigue, and viscoelasticity are important characteristics to determine their use in the body, for example for bone implants and prosthesis. Biodegradation refers to the rate of breakdown mediated by biological activity, and is an important property for biomaterials used as non-permanent scaffolds, implants, drug delivery vectors, and sutures. Followed are some application examples:
The most commercial and earliest developed polymers for biomedical applications were the synthetic polymers developed from linear aliphatic polyesters. It made by linking small molecules through primary covalent binding in the main molecular chain backbone. Besides synthetic polymers, natural polymers are also used as biomaterials. Natural polymers Agarose is a polysaccharide that derived from the cell walls of red algae. Agarose is biologically inert and
(Mingyu Li z3369978) The use of polymers in biomedical applications is now widely accepted and they are termed with the generic name of polymeric biomaterials. A biomaterial can be defined by their function as a material in contact with living tissue that used to the treatment of disease or injury, and to improve human health by restoring the function of tissue and organs in the body.x Polymeric biomaterials in medicine include surgical sutures, drug delivery vectors, orthopedic devices and implants, and scaffolds for tissue engineering. After decades of research many polymeric biomaterials have been developed from synthetic or natural origin. All the polymeric biomaterials have to be evaluated in terms of their biocompatibility, mechanical properties and biodegradation to determine if they are suitable for specific medical applications. Biocompatibility refers to several characteristics of the biomaterial which leads to the acceptance of the material in the body, such as being non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-allergenic and non-immunogenic. Mechanical properties like elastic modulus, compression modulus, fatigue, and viscoelasticity are important characteristics to determine their use in the body, for example for bone implants and prosthesis. Biodegradation refers to the rate of breakdown mediated by biological activity, and is an important property for biomaterials used as non-permanent scaffolds, implants, drug delivery vectors, and sutures. Followed are some application examples:
The most commercial and earliest developed polymers for biomedical applications were the synthetic polymers developed from linear aliphatic polyesters. It made by linking small molecules through primary covalent binding in the main molecular chain backbone. Besides synthetic polymers, natural polymers are also used as biomaterials. Natural polymers Agarose is a polysaccharide that derived from the cell walls of red algae. Agarose is biologically inert and