Updates on polyurethane and its multifunctional applications in biomedical engineering

Abstract

Polyurethanes (PU) have properties that make them promising in biomedical applications. PU is recognized as one of the main families of blood and biocompatible materials. PU plays a vital role in the design of medical devices in various medical fields. The structure of PU contains two segments: soft and hard. Its elastomeric feature is due to its soft segment, and its excellent and high mechanical property is because of its hard segment. It is possible to achieve specific desirable and targeted properties by changing the soft and hard chemical structures and the ratio between them. The many properties of PU each draw the attention of different medical fields. This work reviews PU highlighted properties, such as biodegradability, biostability, shape memory, and improved antibacterial activity. Also, because PU has a variety of applications, this review restricts its focus to PU’s prominent applications in tissue engineering (TE), cardiovascular medicine, drug delivery, and wound healing. In addition, it contains a brief review of PU’s applications in biosensors and oral administration.

Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Incorporation in Polyurethane Foams: A Solution for Future Antimicrobial Materials?

“…The pronounced growth in this market is predominantly driven by the increasing demand for polyurethane foam in various industries, including the construction, automotive, furniture and packaging industries. Figure 1 provides a comprehensive visual representation of the primary applications of polyurethane foams, delineating their respective market shares within various sectors [15][16][17]. This graphical depiction highlights the distribution of polyurethane foam usage across sectors such as construction, automotive, furniture and packaging and also summarizes its application in biomedical contexts.…”

Polyurethane Nanoparticles as Versatile Tools in Nanomedicine: A Review

“…In this review, we have compiled the applications of PUNPs accomplished in the field of drug delivery, imaging, and theranostic systems which were published in the last five years from 2019 to 2023. The detailed explanation of polyurethane material properties, polyurethane composite, advantages, and limitations of polyurethane has been exhaustively reviewed previously, − and these aspects are thus excluded from this review. We are outlining the synthesis procedures utilized to create polyurethane nanoparticles with a focus on surface-functionalized nanoparticles and biobased polyurethane nanoparticle production.…”