A Fundamental Approach Toward Polymers and Polymer Composites: Current Trends for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Polymers and their composites are widely studied for various biomedical applications including hard tissue regeneration, wound healing, artificial skin, antibacterial oxygenators, and drug delivery carriers. Both natural and synthetic polymers are employed for clinical applications and possess numerous advantages and a few limitations. State-of-the-art microarray technique assists in rapid screening of most suitable polymeric materials for biomedical applications and 3D printing aids in fabricating scaffolds with desirable porosity to mimic the architecture of natural tissues. The insufficient mechanical strength and hydrophobic nature of polymers restrict their applications in the field of tissue engineering. The incorporation of inorganic bioactive ceramics as filler in the organic polymer matrix is expected to eliminate these limitations. The present chapter describes the current advancements made in using polymers and its composites for biological applications and predicts the future studies to make these materials as a promising alternative for traditional metallic implants. A brief discussion on the emerging techniques and significant research done is also presented.