Biopolymers for Medical Applications

JUAN M. RUSO; PAULA V. MESSINA

CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2016 p. 372

9781498744966

Owing to their higher chemical and impact resistance in addition to their superior mechanical and thermal properties, biopolymers have become ?the material of choice? in healing therapies. A wide range of different polymers are available for multiple medical applications; so much so that it is expected that the use of glass and metals in therapeutic devices will decline over the next few years while the use of polymers will increase. Although this subject has long been an important area of research for biochemists and physicists, engineers, pharmacists and physicians are now taking a keen interest in it. Polymers? versatility and, the scientist?s ability to engineer and customize their physical, chemical and biological properties to match the requirementsof the varied and specifi c medical applications are the keys to their increasing use.Applications, just to name a few, include medical tubing, controlled drug delivery and wound management (e.g., adhesives, sutures, lubricants and surgical meshes), orthopedic devices (screws, pins, and rods), dental materials (fi ller after a tooth extraction) and tissue engineering.This book has been devised so as to offer an overview of currently ?hot? topics in this field.