Fluorinated Polymers as Smart Materials for Advanced Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Fluorinated polymers constitute a unique class of materials that exhibit a combination of suitable properties for a wide range of applications, which mainly arise from their outstanding chemical resistance, thermal stability, low friction coefficients and electrical properties. Furthermore, those presenting stimuli-responsive properties have found widespread industrial and commercial applications, based on their ability to change in a controlled fashion one or more of their physicochemical properties, in response to single or multiple external stimuli such as light, temperature, electrical and magnetic fields, pH and/or biological signals. In particular, some fluorinated polymers have been intensively investigated and applied due to their piezoelectric, pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties in biomedical applications including controlled drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, microfluidic and artificial muscle actuators, among others. This review summarizes the main characteristics, microstructures and biomedical applications of electroactive fluorinated polymers.

Recent Progress on Piezoelectric, Pyroelectric, and Magnetoelectric Polymer‐Based Energy‐Harvesting Devices

“…Biocompatible materials are interesting due to their increasing use in biomedical applications, including tissue engineering and biodevices . Biopolymers can be natural or synthetic materials.…”

Development of Ester Free Type Poly(trimethylene carbonate) Derivatives with Pendant Fluoroaromatic Groups

“…It became easy to handle the resulting PTMC derivatives when introducing a rigid structure aromatic ring into the side chain, and the novel ester free type TMC derivatives bearing fluoroaromatic groups were then synthesized . It is widely known that compounds containing fluorine have been developed into biomaterials, such as biocompatible membranes, and guided bone regeneration membranes . Biomaterials with antibiofouling properties, and others that exhibit suppression of cell growth on scaffolds have also been developed .…”

Nanodiamond in composite: Biomedical application

“…The βand γ-phases hold the highest dipolar moment per unit cell with piezoelectricity, which can be induced by mechanical stretching, electrical poling, electrospinning or nanomaterials additions (Cardoso et al, 2018;Tjong, 2018). The morphology and structure of PVDF play a vital role in determining its suitability for several applications because specific requirements can vary for drug delivery, tissue engineering, sensors and actuators, medical device instrumentation, microfluidic systems, filtration and environmental engineering, and energy harvesting (Cardoso et al, 2018). The morphology and structure of PVDF play a vital role in determining its suitability for several applications because specific requirements can vary for drug delivery, tissue engineering, sensors and actuators, medical device instrumentation, microfluidic systems, filtration and environmental engineering, and energy harvesting (Cardoso et al, 2018).…”

“…Despite those advances which demonstrate the strong potential of this class of smart polymers, there is still a long road ahead of intense and dynamic research to obtain specifically tailored properties that will fulfill some of the most challenging (bio)technological applications in the near future (Cardoso et al, 2018). Despite those advances which demonstrate the strong potential of this class of smart polymers, there is still a long road ahead of intense and dynamic research to obtain specifically tailored properties that will fulfill some of the most challenging (bio)technological applications in the near future (Cardoso et al, 2018).…”

“…PVDF exists in four different crystalline phases (α, β, γ, and δ phases) which differ in chain conformation, unit cells, and chain direction (Laroche et al, 1995;Zhang, Bharti, & Kavarnos, 2002). The βand γ-phases hold the highest dipolar moment per unit cell with piezoelectricity, which can be induced by mechanical stretching, electrical poling, electrospinning or nanomaterials additions (Cardoso et al, 2018;Tjong, 2018). PVDF-based structures can be designed in a variety of ways, such as films, porous films, fibers, and microspheres.…”