Smart Biomaterials

This book provides comprehensive coverage of smart biomaterials and their potential applications, a field that is developing at a very rapid pace. Because smart biomaterials are an emerging class of biomaterials that respond to small changes in external stimuli with large discontinuous changes in their physical properties, they have been designed to act as an “on–off” switch for, among others, bio separation, immunoanalysis, drug delivery technologies, gene therapy, diagnostics, bio sensors and artificial muscles. After an introduction to the topic and the history of smart biomaterials, the author gives the reader an in-depth look at the properties, mechanics, and characterization of smart biomaterials including hydrogels, particles, assemblies, surfaces, fibers and conjugates. Information on the wide range of applications for these materials follows, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, diagnostics, biosensors, bio separation and actuators. In addition, recent advances in shape memory biomaterials as active components of medical devices are also presented.

New Trends in Smart Nanostructured Biomaterials in Health Sciences provides guidance on the design and synthesis of nanostructured smart biomaterials, as well as the resultant therapeutic effects and associated biomedical applications of these novel materials. The book provides readers with a deeper understanding of these novel biomaterials and aids them in making informed decisions when selecting appropriate materials for tissue engineering and cancer therapy applications. It will be of specific interest to materials scientists, biomedical engineers, oncological scientists, tissue engineers and those working in regenerative medicine. Nanostructured smart materials have the special ability to respond to changes in the cell microenvironment, allowing for robust, biocompatible and rapidly adaptable, therapeutic and restorative action against a range of ailments. These materials are thus ideal candidates for use in tissue engineering and cancer therapy due to the varying nature of the cell microenvironment between persons, tissues and cancers. This book covers the design, synthesis, unique properties and application of smart biomaterials in these two key topic areas of tissue engineering and cancer therapeutics. Presents an overview of how smart biomaterials respond to changes in physiological factors and exogeneous stimuli and their impact in modern medicine Provides readers with the basis for designing, processing and characterizing advanced smart biomaterials Guides the reader through the mechanisms of tissue repair and cancer therapeutics by exploring the most relevant features of smart nanostructured materials

In the last couple of decades, research in the area of tissue engineering has witnessed tremendous progress. The focus has been on replacing or facilitating the regeneration of damaged or diseased cell, tissue or organs by applying a biomaterial support system, and a combination of cells and bioactive molecules. In addition new smart materials have been developed which provide opportunities to fabricate, characterize and utilize materials systematically to control cell behaviours and tissue formation by biomimetic topography that closely replicate the natural extracellular matrix. Following on from Smart Materials for Tissue Engineering: Fundamental Principles, this book comprehensively covers the different uses of smart materials in tissues engineering, providing a valuable resource for biochemists, materials scientists and biomedical engineers working in industry and academia.

Polymers have emerged as one of the most innovative classes of materials in modern materials science, leading to new applications in medicine and pharmacy. This book offers a convincing and understandable approach to polymer biomaterial devices being used in various areas related to biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. The polymer materials finding application as biomaterials are discussed and described in detail pertaining to the areas of artificial implants, orthopedics, ocular devices, dental implants, drug delivery systems, burns and wounds.

This book is concerned with polymeric hydrogels, which are considered as one of the most promising types of new polymer-based materials. Each chapter in this book describes a selected class of polymeric hydrogels, such as superabsorbent hybrid nanohydrogels, conducting polymer hydrogels, polysaccharide-based or protein-based hydrogels, or gels based on synthetic polymers. In this way, the book also addresses some of the fascinating properties and applications of polymeric hydrogels: they are three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks that can absorb, swell and retain large quantities of water or aqueous fluids. In combination with metal nanoparticles, nanofibrils or nanowhiskers, which may be embedded in the gels, they find widespread applications, ranging from agriculture, and waste water treatment, over electronics, to pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Applications mentioned in this book include electro sensors, capacitors, electromechanical actuators, and even artificial muscles.

In recent years there has been tremendous progress in the area of tissue engineering research. This book focusses on the fundamental principles underpinning these recent advances in the materials science developed for tissue engineering purposes. Smart materials for tissue engineering are produced by modifying the physicochemical and biological properties of the scaffolds with response to external stimuli to enhance the tissue regeneration. The functions of living cells can be regulated by smart materials which respond to changes in the surrounding microenvironment. This book comprehensively documents the recent advancements in smart materials for tissue engineering and will provide an essential text for those working in materials science and materials engineering, in academia and industry.

Surface engineering provides one of the most important means of engineering product differentiation in terms of quality, performance, and lifecycle cost. It is essential to achieve predetermined functional properties of materials such as mechanical strength, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and heat and oxidation resistance. Surface Engineering of Biomaterials addresses this topic across a diverse range of process technologies and healthcare applications. Introduces biomaterial surface science and surface engineering and includes criteria for biomaterial surface selection Focuses on a broad array of materials including metals, ceramics, polymers, alloys, and composites Discusses corrosion, degradation, and material release issues in implant materials Covers various processing routes to develop biomaterial surfaces, including for smart and energy applications Details techniques for post-modification of biomaterial surfaces This reference work helps researchers working at the intersection of materials science and biotechnology to engineer functional biomaterials for a variety of applications.