Читать книгу Biobased Composites - Группа авторов - Страница 14

With the increasing trend toward using biomaterials in tissue engineering, great efforts are taken to develop biomaterials with desired characteristics, such as the ease of production, the compatibility with the host tissues, and the improvement of the healing rates. Polymeric‐based biomaterials are increasingly replacing the metallic and ceramic‐based biomaterials. As the latter type possesses high elastic modulus, the distribution of the stresses on the host bones will change completely, leading to alterations in the stress concentrations as well as relocating their locations [31]. In addition, polymeric materials are generally easier to be manufactured or shaped, and compatible with the host tissues [32]. Some classifications of polymers are illustrated in Figure 1.3. Moreover, some characteristics such as their mechanical performance and degradations can be controlled easily. Hence, they can perfectly be dedicated to a certain purpose once they are implanted in the host tissues.

For the last 50 years, many researchers have been concerned in investigating and developing potential natural and synthetic polymers for different applications in medical engineering such as biodegradable sutures, tissue scaffolds, and cardiovascular stents [33–35]. Polymers of natural resources are biocompatible and biodegradable in nature. Thus, they are readily suited for many medical applications such as tissue engineering applications and drugs production. Commonly used forms of scaffolds in tissue engineering are illustrated in Figure 1.4. Biobased composites are gaining more and more attention, and they are a concern for many researchers internationally due to their availability, recyclability, degradability, sustainability, low cost, light weight, and most importantly their high mechanical performance. The continuous improvements of the biocomposites will surely lead to new materials with a high potential to replace the conventional composites in the current applications or for future applications. In biocomposites, a material which is strong and similar to cement is made by the natural merging of different cells of hard plant fibers by lignin. These composites also possess high electric resistance due to the presence of cellulose fibrils embedded in lignin.

Figure 1.3 Classification of polymers.

Figure 1.4 Commonly used forms of scaffolds in tissue engineering.