Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2825

Special Issue Editors

School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: biomaterials; biofabrication; microfluidics; organs-on-a-chip; electrospinning; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: controlled drug release; thermogel materials; stimuli-responsive polymeric materials; multi-functional polymeric materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Further to the success of the Special Issue of Polymers “Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications”, we are delighted to reopen the Special Issue, which is now entitled “Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications II”.

Polymers are widely used as biomaterials and have motivated development in biomedical fields because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Biocompatible and degradable polymers are favoured in developing therapeutic devices, including temporary implants and three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering, as well as pharmacological applications, such as delivery vehicles for controlled/sustained drug release. A wide range of natural and synthetic degradable polymers has been investigated for biomedical applications, with novel materials constantly being developed to meet new challenges. Meanwhile, the development of biotechnology and medical technology has set higher requirements for biomedical materials. 

In this Special Issue, we encourage authors to share their experiences in the field that is broadly understood as “Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications II”. We believe that your studies will contribute to the potential use of these polymers in the biomedical field.

Dr. Yadong Tang
Dr. Lu Jiang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodegradable polymers
  • biomaterials
  • natural polymeric biomaterials
  • synthetic polymeric biomaterials
  • tissue engineering
  • drug delivery

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 20502 KiB  
Article
Cryostructuring of Polymeric Systems: 67 Properties and Microstructure of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Cryogels Formed in the Presence of Phenol or Bis-Phenols Introduced into the Aqueous Polymeric Solutions Prior to Their Freeze–Thaw Processing
by Olga Yu. Kolosova, Viktor G. Vasil’ev, Ivan A. Novikov, Elena V. Sorokina and Vladimir I. Lozinsky
Polymers 2024, 16(5), 675; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16050675 - 01 Mar 2024
Viewed by 622
Abstract
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) physical cryogels that contained the additives of o-, m-, and p-bis-phenols or phenol were prepared, and their physico-chemical characteristics and macroporous morphology and the solute release dynamics were evaluated. These phenolic additives caused changes in the viscosity [...] Read more.
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) physical cryogels that contained the additives of o-, m-, and p-bis-phenols or phenol were prepared, and their physico-chemical characteristics and macroporous morphology and the solute release dynamics were evaluated. These phenolic additives caused changes in the viscosity of initial PVA solutions before their freeze–thaw processing and facilitated the growth in the rigidity of the resultant cryogels, while their heat endurance decreased. The magnitude of the effects depended on the interposition of phenolic hydroxyls in the molecules of the used additives and was stipulated by their H-bonding with PVA OH-groups. Subsequent rinsing of such “primary” cryogels with pure water led to the lowering of their rigidity. The average size of macropores inside these heterophase gels also depended on the additive type. It was found also that the release of phenolic substances from the additive-containing cryogels occurred via virtually a free diffusion mechanism; therefore, drug delivery systems such as PVA cryogels loaded with either pyrocatechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, or phenol, upon the in vitro agar diffusion tests, exhibited antibacterial activity typical of these phenols. The promising biomedical potential of the studied nanocomposite gel materials is supposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications II)
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15 pages, 3989 KiB  
Article
Influence of Ethylene Oxide and Gamma Irradiation Sterilization Processes on the Properties of Poly-L-Lactic-Acid (PLLA) Materials
by Natalie Krug, Jan-Christoph Zarges and Hans-Peter Heim
Polymers 2023, 15(16), 3461; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15163461 - 18 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1377
Abstract
In order to encourage the substitution of petrochemical polymers in medical technology with sustainable, bio-based materials, there is an urgent need for further investigations, especially data regarding their sterility performance. Within the scope of the investigations, selected material properties of poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA), a [...] Read more.
In order to encourage the substitution of petrochemical polymers in medical technology with sustainable, bio-based materials, there is an urgent need for further investigations, especially data regarding their sterility performance. Within the scope of the investigations, selected material properties of poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA), a specific type of poly(lactic-acid) (PLA), were analyzed before and after sterilization (using ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation) in order to investigate deviations in its chemical structure, wettability, optical, and mechanical properties. In particular, parameters such as molecular weight, complex viscosity, tensile strength, water contact angle, and color were discussed. Sterilization temperatures close to the glass transition of PLA, high humidity, and interactions with the ethylene oxide molecules have resulted in an increase in crystallinity, a decrease in elongation at break, and in some cases, a variation in wettability. As a consequence of exposure to high-energy radiation, the material’s toughness is reduced due to chain scission, which is manifested through a decrease in molecular weight, an increase in crystallinity, and a partial change in surface energy. For the selected PLLA-materials (Luminy® L130, NP HT 202, and NP HT 203), ethylene oxide sterilization resulted in a comparatively minor variation in the characteristics behavior, and was chosen as the preferred method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polymers for Medical Applications II)
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