13 - Recent advances in renewable polymer/metal oxide systems used for tissue engineering

Abstract

Biodegradable polymers have gained ample importance during the last few decades due to their potential in environmental safety and biomedical applications. Currently, only limited biopolymers are of market value. Thus, this area needs more exploration. Industry-sponsored research has intensified in universities to find good substitutes for synthetic polymers in the form of biopolymers, nanopolymers, and biocomposites. The promising materials that have come up as a result of the research on biopolymers are polymers that are either extracted from renewable resources or synthesized from natural monomers. These polymers are further blended and composited with synthetic polymers to obtain desired properties. However, there are areas of concern that need to be looked upon before they are used in advanced applications. These include biodegradation, mechanical properties, adhesion, and utilization of bioceramics as a reinforcement material, etc. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) have established and released various techniques and procedures to ensure environmental safety and cost-effectiveness of biopolymers for renewable and sustainable growth. Considering the nature, scope, and characteristics of natural materials and bioceramics, there is a great need to consider the synthesis of biomaterials and their composites with nanofiller for more advanced biomedical applications. Thus, the biopolymer sector has a bright future and enormously large market, backed by the benefits associated with environmental safety and cost by harnessing renewable resources to produce biomaterials. This chapter is taking an overview of the biopolymer, their processing, and modification along with the various types of metallic oxides for possible application in tissue engineering. The toxic behavior of these metallic oxides is also discussed.