Biomaterials are natural or synthetic materials that are essential in medical applications. The field of biomaterials combines medicine, biology, physics, chemistry, as well as tissue engineering and materials science. Metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and even living cells and tissues can be used to create biomaterials. They can be designed into parts, coatings, fibers, films, foams, and fabrics for use in biomedical products and devices.
Metallic biomaterials have a wide range of applications in medicine. Metals and their alloys are mainly used in the manufacture of implants, medical devices, and other medical-related accessories. They are difficult to replace by polymer and ceramic substitutes due to their ductility, high stiffness, electrical and thermal conductivity, and wear resistance. Stainless steel, titanium and cobalt-based alloys are the main metallic biomaterials used in most permanent implants. Metallic nanoparticles are flexible nanostructures whose shape, composition, size, structure, assembly, and optical properties can be controlled. They are widely used in biomedical and engineering fields. Metallic nanoparticles can be synthesized and modified with various chemical functional groups to enable binding of antibodies, ligands, and target drugs, thus opening a wide range of potential applications in magnetic separation, preconcentration of target analytes, drug delivery, and imaging.
Ceramics are oxides, nitrides, sulfides and carbides of metals and metalloids. Compared with metals and alloys, ceramic biomaterials have the advantages of high density, high porosity, high elastic modulus, high hardness, and low cost. Bioceramics such as alumina, zirconia, titania, calcium phosphorus-based porous materials, bioactive glass ceramics are used in dentistry, orthopedics, calcified tissues, implants, coatings, medical sensors, and many other applications.
Polymers are another common type of biomaterials, which are natural or synthetic long chains of repeating units. Natural polymers are widely used in the preparation of biomaterials due to their biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. Collagen, a natural protein present in skin and other connective tissues, can be used in the preparation of scaffolds and implants. In addition to collagen, natural polymers such as fibrin, keratin, alginate, chitin, and chitosan are also explored for their potency in the field of tissue engineering. Compared to natural polymers, synthetic polymers are less immunogenic and have better mechanical properties. The biodegradability of synthetic polymers can be adjusted, which makes them suitable for tissue engineering applications. Common synthetic polymers include polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). Natural and synthetic polymers can be prepared in different forms, such as thin films, 3D scaffolds, hydrogels, and 3D printed implants. In addition, polymeric biomaterials can be loaded with different active molecules to improve their efficacy in tissue regeneration.
Amerigo Scientific provides a wide range of biomaterials including metallic nanoparticle materials, inorganic metal oxide materials, natural and synthetic polymers, poly(ethylene glycol) polymers with various functionalities, high-quality bioinks, etc.
Nanoparticle Materials
Polymer Materials
Others
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