This chapter summarizes and reviews recent challenges on various preparation methods, physical properties, and biomedical applications of conductive composites based on synthetic biodegradable polymers. Conducting polymers and composites are new functional materials with the advantages to conduct electrical signals that can control and affect the cell behavior. The chapter starts with a comprehensive description of the physicochemical properties of conductive nanostructures and polymers, and then in detail the main processing technologies to develop conductive composites and blend, from solution based to melt-compounding technique, are investigated. A concise examination of techniques used in estimating the properties of the conductive multifunctional materials are described, and in particular, electrical and dielectrical characterization in direct and alternate current modes will be correlated to the composite microstructure. Finally, several potential biomedical applications and corresponding challenges of these new multifunctional composites are also discussed, and in particular, such materials offer significant prospective benefits for the reconnection of damaged nerves in the nervous systems.
Recent advances in conductive composites based on biodegradable polymers for regenerative medicine applications
Armentano I.;Fortunati E.;Torre L.;Kenny J. M.
2017
Abstract
This chapter summarizes and reviews recent challenges on various preparation methods, physical properties, and biomedical applications of conductive composites based on synthetic biodegradable polymers. Conducting polymers and composites are new functional materials with the advantages to conduct electrical signals that can control and affect the cell behavior. The chapter starts with a comprehensive description of the physicochemical properties of conductive nanostructures and polymers, and then in detail the main processing technologies to develop conductive composites and blend, from solution based to melt-compounding technique, are investigated. A concise examination of techniques used in estimating the properties of the conductive multifunctional materials are described, and in particular, electrical and dielectrical characterization in direct and alternate current modes will be correlated to the composite microstructure. Finally, several potential biomedical applications and corresponding challenges of these new multifunctional composites are also discussed, and in particular, such materials offer significant prospective benefits for the reconnection of damaged nerves in the nervous systems.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
