Medical Application of Polymer-Based Composites

Abstract

Composites are materials composed of two or more different components. When polymers are combined with other materials, properties of individual polymers such as mechanical strength, surface characteristics, and biocompatibility can be improved, making it feasible to manufacture materials with excellent mechanical properties and biological activity. Polymer-based composites are commonly used in aerospace, automobile, military, and sports applications, and are increasingly being used in biomedicine for tissue engineering, wound dressings, drug release, regenerative medicine, dental resin composites, and surgical operations [1][2][3]. Research topics in this area cover technical issues of how best to integrate these materials and postintegration material properties.Developing biological materials using bioderived polymers as a matrix is another medical application of polymer-based composites. Many recent studies have reported improvement of specific material properties by mixing biocompatible nanoparticles into bioabsorbable polymers [4][5][6]. These nanoparticle/polymer composite biomaterials are showing great promise for use in biomedical applications including tissue engineering [7,8] and wound healing [9,10], and can also be used to fabricate contrast agents for medical imaging in cancer detection or as targeting materials for precise cancer treatment [11]. With this background in mind, this Special Issue entitled Medical Application of Polymer-Based Composites brings together 11 original articles representing recent progress and new developments in the field of biopolymer-based composites.For tissue engineering researchers working on bone regeneration technology for periodontics, implantology, and maxillofacial surgery, developing new substitute bone grafts that show strong bone growth activity is an ongoing challenge. In this regard, Salamanca et al. developed and tested the performance of collagenated porcine grafts and found that collagenated porcine graft not only induced osteoblast differentiation in vitro, but also exhibited guided bone regeneration in vivo [12]. They demonstrated that collagenated porcine graft has potential to act as an osteoconductive material that can be used for different dental guided bone regeneration procedures.Poly-L-lactide (PLLA) is a biodegradable polymer widely used in orthopedic devices and dental rehabilitation [13]. Although it exhibits excellent biocompatibility, its insufficient mechanical strength limited its application in load-bearing area. In order to increase the osteoregeneration and accelerate the formation of new bone, bioactive materials have been added to PLLA [14]. For example, to prevent leakage of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement during kyphoplasty treatment, Leu et al. developed a novel membrane by mixing PLLA and tricalcium silicate as a barrier [15]. They showed that the mechanical and antidegradation properties of this hybrid composite were improved without affecting its cytocompatibility and created a potential antileakage membrane solution f...