Polymer engineering for advanced medical and healthcare products

2 Polymer engineering for advanced medical and healthcare products 

As the basic component of medical textile materials, the structures and properties of the constituent polymers have a significant effect on the biodegradability, biocompatibility, absorbency, antimicrobial property, and other functional performances of the final medical textile products. Functional modifications of polymers have far-reaching effects on the fibers, yams, fabrics, and textile materials that are processed in a series of downstream operations. In order to generate the desired product performance characteristics for their diverse applications such as hygiene, protection, therapeutic, nonimplantable or implantable materials, extracorporeal devices, etc., the chemical and physical structures of the relevant polymers should be engineered to suit their required specifications. 

Similar to the chemical modifications applied to alginate, chitosan can be treated with chloro-acetic acid, ethylene oxide, and propylene oxide to obtain sodium car-boxymethyl chitosan, hydroxyethyl chitosan, and hydroxypropyl chitosan, respectively. These derivatives are highly absorbent and can be used for the production of superabsorbent fibers for medical applications. In addition to enhanced absorption properties, it is known that carboxymethyl chitosan possesses unique wound-healing properties whereby the application of foams, hydrogels, or nonwoven dressings can effectively promote the healing of chronic ulcerative wounds. 

---