Biomedical polymers polypropylene

The commonly used biomedical polymer materials include Polytetrafluoroethene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, silicone rubber, polypropylene, polysiloxane gel, poly methyl acrylate, chitin derivatives and Polymethylmethacrylate. 

Table 2.1 records glass transition temperatures for some common biomedical polymers. It allows comparisons between polymers such as polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride) and polystyrene. 

Several other common industrial polymers are also used in biomedical applications [51]. Because of its low cost and easy processibility, polyethylene is frequently used in the production of catheters. High-density polyethylene is used to produce hip prostheses, where durability of the polymer is critical. Polypropylene, which has a low density and high chemical resistance, is frequently employed in syringe bodies, external prostheses, and other non-implanted medical applications. Polystyrene is used routinely in the production of tissue culture dishes, where dimensional stability and transparency are important. Styrene-butadiene copolymers or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers are used to produce opaque, molded items for perfusion, dialysis, syringe connections, and catheters. 

Besides alternative reaction media, process and product research has resulted in a number of new classes of polymers, such as dendritic and conductive polymers. At the same time the application field of polymers has been extended, ranging nowadays from bulk materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene all the way to specialty products, for example for biomedical applications. These developments ask for well controlled polymerization processes. In this respect ultrasound has proven to be a clean and safe technology for generating radicals in situ during the polymerization reaction. 

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