Medical applications functional properties

The use of TPEs in films and tapes is discussed in numerous reports. However, the latter provide essentially recipes of mixtures. They concern many technical fields pressure-sensitive adhesives, medical applications, barrier properties, porous films, etc., and some of them describe well defined electic properties, such as an electrostrictive system formed of a conductive polymer (polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene) deposited onto opposing surfaces of a TPE film, e.g., a polyurethane [168]. The same comments hold for coating and painting where TPE are mainly used in the protection of metal or alloy substrates, such as electric wires some others impart additional functions to the protection, as is the case of optical fibers or textile fibers and different fabrics. Some few patents claim that a new TPE can be used as textile fiber with interesting properties, however these patents are almost never industrialized on the other hand, new TPE fiber processing techniques are proposed [169]. 

In medical applications some important biological properties - immunogenic, anti-tumour and anti-viral - can be exploited, as well as the established functional properties based on rheology and gel formation. 

But what does it all really mean for us Quite a lot Feynman-like thinking became an accepted biomedical research topic by the mid-1990s. The National Institutes of Health were quick to see the medical applications, defining nanotechnology as the creation of functional devices, materials and systems through the control of matter of 1 to 100 nanometers, and the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena at the same scale. Here are some nano disciplines and nano products that are already becoming of interest to industry ... 

Proteins are biopolymers that are encountered in many applications, such as food emulsions, hair conditioners, photographic emulsions, and various medical diagnostic products. Many of these applications are frequently based on the unique surface activity of the proteins, which is reflected in functional properties such as foaming, emulsification, and gelling. The proteins are composed of polymeric chains containing many hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains, often giving the molecules an amphipathic structure somewhat similar to that of polymeric surfactants. 

One of the main arms of high added value products is the development of properties that directly affect the safety and comfort of users. One of the ways to accomplish this is by using microencapsulation processes to impart new functionalities and properties to textiles (Anon, 2008). Thermochromic microencapsulated pigments bear the potential for medical application in terms of registering elevated body temperature of patients, thus allowing easier monitoring and point of care diagnosis. 

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