“Development of a New Metal polymer Composite, For Biomedical Applications, With Good; Mechanical, Interfacial and Drug Release Characteristics

Abstract

Polymeric materials are of great interest for use in various medical and non-medical applications and are widely used because of their light weight, for being inexpensive and for the versatile physical, chemical and mechanical properties that are exhibited by different types and classes of polymers. However for specific applications polymers need to be blended with other materials like, ceramics, metals and other polymers to get the benefits of the constituting materials simultaneously in a single composite material which also shows an overall improvement in properties for a desired application. For achieving additional benefits and improving the material characteristics two or more materials are often combined together in the form of composites. Composites are important because of their light weight, high strength and flexibility of design. Composite materials provide various advantages based on their particulate or fibrous nature and on the basis of individual qualities of the constituting elements of the composites. Besides the multiplied benefits achieved with the composite materials, they being composed of two different materials exhibit greater challenges and biocompatibility threats which need to be addressed while developing a composite material. A composite material composed of polymer reinforced metal is presented. With time biodegradable materials are widely being used with preference over stable materials because they degrade and disappear with time, leaving no space for the foreign body remains to cause any unwanted effects or complications. Biodegradable polymer composites with different reinforcement materials have been summarized in this work, with special focus on the composites developed from poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA), which is a very promising polymer for use in various biomedical devices, implants and drug delivery applications when used as membranes, hydrogels and also as micro and nano-particles. The composite is biodegradable as it degrades easily in human body under both normal physiological or pathological conditions. It is also biocompatible in nature, with no toxicity before or after its degradation. The poly-metal composite is studied for its mechanical properties and has shown promising results for use in various bio-medical devices. Developing the composite with metal tailors the properties of polymer; making it less elastic while maintaining its flexibility. The composite has been developed in two ways; by using fine metal particles and also by using metal salt. The properties of both kinds of the composite have been compared with each other and also with the polymer alone. After composite development and its mechanical testing, a drug has been incorporated into the composite and the drug release kinetics has been studied. The degradation rate, mechanical properties and rate of drug release through the poly-metal composite can be adjusted by changing the polymer-metal ratio as per requirement and purpose of use. Based on its properties the composite is proposed for use in various bio-medical devices where it can be used alone or in combination with other compatible materials.

The structural composite of bioabsorbable nature is developed using a polymeric material and metal particles. The composite material so developed would provide improved strength and flexibility, better than the individual constituting materials and would eventually degrade on subject to exposure to the physiological environment.