Tailor-made intelligent polymers for biomedical applications

Tailor-made intelligent polymers for biomedical applications 

1 General schematic representation of the degradation behaviour of degradable polymers (a) bulk degradation, b) surface erosion. 

The requirements for an implant material are determined by the respective application. The key properties of degradable biomaterials are their mechanical properties, degradation rate and behaviour, their functionality and their biocompatibility. For each application, a specific set of the properties mentioned is needed. With the growing number of potential applications, the number of required materials with specific combinations of properties is also increasing. As the variability of properties is limited for those 

In the following section, promising candidates for the next generation of degradable biomaterials will be introduced. This class of biomaterials allows variation of macroscopic properties within a wide range by only small changes in the chemical structure. As an additional functionality, these new materials show shape memory properties. 

Shape memory materials are able to memorize a second, permanent shape besides their actual, temporary shape. After application of an external stimulus, e.g. an increase in temperature, such a material can be transferred into its memorized, permanent shape. The process of programming and restoring a shape can be repeated several times. This behaviour is called the thermally induced one-way shape memory effect. 

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Lendlein A., Tailor-made intelligent polymers for biomedical applications in Tao X. (ed.) Smart Fibres, Fabrics and Clothing, Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, 2001. 

The fourth part, embracing the last three chapters, is focused on bioapplications. Chapter 15 outlines various bioprocesses for smart textiles and clothing, and Chapter 16 concentrates on tailor-made intelligent polymers for biomedical applications. Chapter 17 describes the applications of scaffolds in tissue engineering, where various textile structures are used for cells to grow. 

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