Medical devices structural properties

Resilin has a remarkably high fatigue lifetime (probably >500 million cycles) and our aim is to reproduce this desirable mechanical property in synthetic materials derived from our studies of resilin structure and function. We believe that recombinant resilin-like materials may be used, in the future, in the medical device field as components of prosthetic implants, including spinal disks and synthetic arteries. Spinal disks, for example, must survive for at least 100 million cycles of contraction and relaxation [30]. 

Similar exercises must be performed to identify synthetic nanocomponents. Considerations include suitability for the proposed environment, synthesis and handling properties, polydispersity, structural / chemical properties, as well as amenability to assembly into higher order structures. For medical devices, tolerability and safety of the structural materials is also an issue. Current materials technology offers powerful, but limited capacity to engineer an off the shelf approach to nanostructures. 

The second chapter by Dieter Klemm, Dieter Schumann, Hans-Peter Schmauder, and coworkers focuses on the recent knowledge of cellulosics characterized by a property-determining supramolecular nanofiber structure. Topics in this interdisciplinary contribution are the types of nanocelluloses and their use in technical membranes and composites as well as in the development of medical devices, in veterinary medicine, and in cosmetics. 

PEBA exhibit a two-phase (crystalline and amorphous) structure and can be classified as a flexible nylon. Physical, chemical, and thermal properties can be modified by appropriate combination of different amounts of polyamide and polyether blocks [149], Hydrophilic PEBAs can be prepared which can have specific applications in medical devices. Similarly to other thermoplastic elastomers, the poiyamide-based ones find applications in automotive components, sporting goods conveyor belting, adhesives, and coatings [150]. In recent years the world consumption was approximately 6400 tons per year with about 80% in Western Europe and the rest equally split between the United States and Japan [143],... 

X ray processing is now a practicable and economically competitive technique. X ray processing is a relatively new irradiation method which can be used for various applications where greater penetration would be beneficial, such as sterilizing medical devices, preserving foods, curing composite structures and improving the properties of bulk materials. 

PP has inherent good barrier properties and high clarity, in addition to proper radiation resistance. Properties which made PP one of the best candidates in medical devices and packaging applications (parenteral nutrition and dialysis films, blister packaging and flexible pouches, syringes, tubing, hospital disposables, test tubes, beakers and pipettes). Medical grade PP is used mostly as blown, cast films and also as coextruded layered structures. 

Nowadays, the trend of research in this field is toward new reaction routes to establish the linking process among polyol and isocyanates obtained from biopolymers to synthesize hybrid PUs and, thus, reach to overcome thermal and mechanical properties of these materials. Also other important parameters such as functionality of diols, isocyanate type, and chain extenders are relevant in PU synthesis [13]. In these materials, the molecular structure varies from rigid cross-linked to linear or highly extensible elastomers hence, their applications are versatile, such as coating or membranes in medical devices, materials in construction engineering, automotive parts, foams and adhesives. 

Polymers are the most versatile class of biomaterials, being extensively used in biomedical applications such as contact lenses, pharmaceutical vehicles, implantation, artificial organs, tissue engineering, medical devices, prostheses, and dental materials [1-3]. This is all due to the unique properties of polymers that created an entirely new concept when originally proposed as biomaterials. For the first time, a material performing a structural application was designed to be completely resorbed and become weaker over time. This concept was applied for the... 

The flexible materials used for medical device packages include a plastic film that is usually a lamination or extrusion-coated material. The material most commonly used for flexible packaging applications is oriented polyester (e.g.. Mylar ), which is used as a base for properties such as dimensional stability, heat resistance, and strength with an adhesively laminated se layer such as low-density polyethylene, which provides the film structure with heat sealability. The variety of film combinations is virtually unlimited and the performance properties of the film can be customized to meet the requirements of the package specifications and the medical device. Other examples of film constructions are... 

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