Poliuretanos Biomédicos: Síntesis, Propiedades, Procesamiento y Aplicaciones

PABLO C. CARACCIOLO; G.A. ABRAHAM

Biomateriales aplicados al diseño de sistemas terapéuticos avanzados

Coimbra University Press - Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra

Lugar: Coimbra; Año: 2015; p. 147 - 181

Segmented polyurethanes (SPU) are block copolymers widely used as biomaterials due to their good biocompatibility and chemical and structural versatility, characteristics that allow a broad range of properties. In the biomedical field, SPU elastomers are mainly used in biostable implants and several biomedical devices. However, polyurethanes are susceptible to hydrolytic and oxidative degradation in physiological conditions, allowing the development of temporary constructs for regenerative medicine. In this chapter, the main aspects showing the complexity and versatility of biomedical polyurethanes respect to their synthesis, physicochemical and surface properties, processing and applications are presented. Nowadays, some applications provide the medical community with commercial devices that have evolved over half a century accompanying the advance of science and technology of biomaterials and modern characterization techniques. However, there is still a long way to go to meet the requirements of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, where the development of non-toxic biodegradable polyurethanes with suitable properties for tissue and organ regeneration is required. The constant appearance of new formulations and diverse processing techniques show that polyurethanes have an interesting future in order to pursue success in the various specific applications that will emerge.