RESUMEN
In the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the use of polymers for biomedical applications. The global medical polymer market size was valued at USD 19.92 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2023 to 2030 despite some limitations, such as cost (financial limitation), strength compared to metal plates for bone fracture, design optimization and incorporation of reinforcement. Recently, this increase has been more pronounced due to important advances in synthesis and modification techniques for the design of novel biomaterials and their behavior in vitro and in vivo. Also, modern medicine allows the use of less invasive surgeries and faster surgical sutures. Besides their use in the human body, polymer biomedical materials must have desired physical, chemical, biological, biomechanical, and degradation properties. This review summarizes the use of polymers for biomedical applications, mainly focusing on hard and soft tissues, prosthetic limbs, dental applications, and bone fracture repair. The main properties, gaps, and trends are discussed.
RESUMEN
Different amounts of graphene quantum dots (CQDs) (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 wt%) were incorporated into an epoxy matrix. The thermal conductivity, density, morphology, and dynamic mechanical thermal (DMTA) properties were reused from the study of Seibert et al.. The Pearson plot showed a high correlation between mass loading, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity. A poorer correlation with density and heat capacity was observed. At lower CQD concentrations (0.1 wt%), the fracture surface showed to be more heterogeneous, while at higher amounts (2.5 and 5 wt%), a more homogeneous surface was observed. The storage modulus values did not change with the CQD amount. But the extension of the glassy plateau increased with higher CQD contents, with an increase of ~40 °C for the 5 wt% compared to the 2.5 wt% and almost twice compared to the neat epoxy. This result is attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of the filler. Additionally, lower energy dissipation and a higher glass transition temperature were observed with the CQD amount. The novelty and importance are related to the fact that for more rigid matrices (corroborated with the literature), the mechanical properties did not change, because the polymer bridging mechanism was not present, in spite of the excellent CQD dispersion as well as the filler amount. On the other hand, thermal conductivity is directly related to particle size and dispersion.
