Acrylic polymer derived from the monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA), was first developed more than 60 years ago. Since then, formulations have extended the material's performance range, resulting in varying levels of melt flow, impact resistance, colorability, gamma recovery, and other controlled characteristics. In this book, I will review the latest developments and present some of the innovative materials developed during my work. This includes the synthesis and characterisation of muco-adhesive and bone like materials as well as bio-materials for the pharmaceutical industry.
This book on Acrylic Polymers for Healthcare presents eight chapters organised into three parts by providing new ideas in design, synthesis and a detailed study of new acrylate materials in healthcare applications. Part I represents Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 focussing on toning up of technologies for making dental dentures with better properties. Part II comprises Chapters 5 and 6 dealing with synthetic polymer-based nanoparticles as intelligent drug delivery systems and bismuth nanoparticles for improved green light emission. Part III represents Chapters 7 and 8 describing the aspects of mitigation of acrylamide in foods in the context of an African perspective and the importance of acrylic-based polymeric adsorbents so that the reader can get an idea about the various types and forms of polymeric materials used for the removal of heavy metals from water.
The use of polymers in medical devices is growing at a steady rate. These materials are generally relatively cheap and versatile, qualities required in many bulk applications. In more specialised medical devices, polymeric components have been developed to meet challenging property and performance requirements. This review describes the process of developing polymeric products for medical applications from design requirements through to specific examples of medical devices and packaging. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database gives useful references for further reading.
This book presents five chapters, organised into two sections, on the latest developments in acrylate polymers materials in terms of properties, new ideas in design, synthesis and detailed applications. Section I presents three chapters on acrylate polymer properties and advanced applications such as pH dependence acrylate-derivative polyelectrolyte properties and polymer material classification as acrylic heat resistant glass and polycarbonate antiballistic glass. Section II includes two chapters on acrylic-based materials in the form of hydrogels, interpenetrated polymer networks, composites and nanocomposites for biomedical and bioengineering applications such as tissue engineering, antimicrobial therapy, orthopaedics and ophthalmologic devices.
While the prevalence of plastics and elastomers in medical devices is now quite well known, there is less information available covering the use of medical devices and the applications of polymers beyond medical devices, such as in hydrogels, biopolymers and silicones beyond enhancement applications, and few books in which these are combined into a single reference. This book is a comprehensive reference source, bringing together a number of key medical polymer topics in one place for a broad audience of engineers and scientists, especially those currently developing new medical devices or seeking more information about current and future applications. In addition to a broad range of applications, the book also covers clinical outcomes and complications arising from the use of the polymers in the body, giving engineers a vital insight into the real world implications of the devices they’re creating. Regulatory issues are also covered in detail. The book also presents the latest developments on the use of polymers in medicine and development of nano-scale devices. Gathers discussions of a large number of applications of polymers in medicine in one place Provides an insight into both the legal and clinical implications of device design Relevant to industry, academic and medical professionals Presents the latest developments in the field, including medical devices on a nano-scale
Medical devices range from simple devices, to test equipment, to implants. Plastics are used more and more in these devices, for weight, cost, and performance purposes. Examples of medical devices include surgical instruments, catheters, coronary stents, pacemakers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, X-ray machines, prosthetic limbs, artificial hips/knees, surgical gloves, and bandages.
The development and use of medical and dental materials are highly interdisciplinary endeavors which require expertise in chemistry, materials science, medicine and/or dentistry, mechanics and design engineering. The Symposium upon which this treatise is based was organized to bring members from these communities together to explore problems of mutual interest. The biomaterials which are used in medical or dental prostheses must not only exhibit structural stability and provide the desired function, but they must also perform over extended periods of time in the environment of the body. The latter is a very stringent requirement. The oral and other physiological environments are designed by nature to break down many organic substances. Also of importance is the requirement that materials used in the prosthesis not have a deleterious effect on body tissues. Most foreign (to the body) substances are somewhat toxic to human tissues; in fact, few factors are more limiting in the medical prosthesis field than the biocompatibility problem. Some of these problems and the attempts to solve them are discussed in this volume.
The progress in polymer science is revealed in the chapters of Polymer Science: A Comprehensive Reference, Ten Volume Set. In Volume 1, this is reflected in the improved understanding of the properties of polymers in solution, in bulk and in confined situations such as in thin films. Volume 2 addresses new characterization techniques, such as high resolution optical microscopy, scanning probe microscopy and other procedures for surface and interface characterization. Volume 3 presents the great progress achieved in precise synthetic polymerization techniques for vinyl monomers to control macromolecular architecture: the development of metallocene and post-metallocene catalysis for olefin polymerization, new ionic polymerization procedures, and atom transfer radical polymerization, nitroxide mediated polymerization, and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer systems as the most often used controlled/living radical polymerization methods. Volume 4 is devoted to kinetics, mechanisms and applications of ring opening polymerization of heterocyclic monomers and cycloolefins (ROMP), as well as to various less common polymerization techniques. Polycondensation and non-chain polymerizations, including dendrimer synthesis and various "click" procedures, are covered in Volume 5. Volume 6 focuses on several aspects of controlled macromolecular architectures and soft nano-objects including hybrids and bioconjugates. Many of the achievements would have not been possible without new characterization techniques like AFM that allowed direct imaging of single molecules and nano-objects with a precision available only recently. An entirely new aspect in polymer science is based on the combination of bottom-up methods such as polymer synthesis and molecularly programmed self-assembly with top-down structuring such as lithography and surface templating, as presented in Volume 7. It encompasses polymer and nanoparticle assembly in bulk and under confined conditions or influenced by an external field, including thin films, inorganic-organic hybrids, or nanofibers. Volume 8 expands these concepts focusing on applications in advanced technologies, e.g. in electronic industry and centers on combination with top down approach and functional properties like conductivity. Another type of functionality that is of rapidly increasing importance in polymer science is introduced in volume 9. It deals with various aspects of polymers in biology and medicine, including the response of living cells and tissue to the contact with biofunctional particles and surfaces. The last volume is devoted to the scope and potential provided by environmentally benign and green polymers, as well as energy-related polymers. They discuss new technologies needed for a sustainable economy in our world of limited resources. Provides broad and in-depth coverage of all aspects of polymer science from synthesis/polymerization, properties, and characterization methods and techniques to nanostructures, sustainability and energy, and biomedical uses of polymers Provides a definitive source for those entering or researching in this area by integrating the multidisciplinary aspects of the science into one unique, up-to-date reference work Electronic version has complete cross-referencing and multi-media components Volume editors are world experts in their field (including a Nobel Prize winner)
