"Intrinsically conducting polymers and their derivatives are being employed in tissue engineering due to their promising electrical conductivity as bioactive scaffolds for tissue regeneration (i.e., bone, nerve, muscle and cardiac tissue engineering and wound healing). Nevertheless, their mechanical brittleness and poor processability limit their applications, resulting in the development of composites, which are based on conductive polymers. The main objective of this book is to summarize and review the preparation methods; physicochemical and mechanical properties; biological properties; and latest advances of both conductive polymers and their composites for tissue engineering applications. Researchers, scientists, and upper level students working in the areas of biomedical engineering, polymers, and biomaterials science will find Electrically Conducting Polymers and Their Composites for Tissue Engineering to be an essential reference."--

A comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the latest research trends in conductive polymers and polymer hybrids, summarizing recent achievements. The book begins by introducing conductive polymer materials and their classification, while subsequent chapters discuss the various syntheses, resulting properties and up-scaling as well as the important applications in biomedical and biotechnological fields, including biosensors and biodevices. The whole is rounded off by a look at future technological advances. The result is a well-structured, essential reference for beginners as well as experienced researchers.

Conducting polymers are versatile materials that possess both the unique properties of polymeric materials (elastic behavior, reversible deformation, flexibility, etc.) and the ability to conduct electricity with bulk conductivities comparable to those of metals and semiconductors. Conducting Polymers: Chemistries, Properties and Biomedical Applications provides current, state-of-the-art knowledge of conducting polymers and their composites for biomedical applications. This book covers the fundamentals of conducting polymers, strategies to modify the structure of conducting polymers to make them biocompatible, and their applications in various biomedical areas such as drug/gene delivery, tissue engineering, antimicrobial activities, biosensors, etc. FEATURES Covers the state-of-the-art progress on biodegradable conducting polymers for biomedical applications Presents synthesis, characterization, and applications of conducting polymers for various biomedical research Provides the fundamentals of biodegradation mechanisms and the role of conduction in biomedical devices Offers details of novel methods and advanced technologies used in biomedical applications using conducting polymers Highlights new directions for scientists, researchers, and students to better understand the chemistry, technologies, and applications of conducting polymers This book is essential reading for all academic and industrial researchers working in the fields of materials science, polymers, nanotechnology, and biomedical technology.

This book provides a comprehensive overview on the recent significant advancements of conductive polymers and their composites in terms of conductive mechanism, fabrication strategies, important properties, and various promising applications. The corresponding knowledge was systematically compiled in the logical order and demonstrated as seven chapters. The special structure, influencing factors of the conductivity, the charge carrier transport model, the wettability and classical categories of the conductive polymers are narrated. Both conventional and novel strategies undertaken to fabricate the conductive polymers are introduced, as provided the overall master of the progress. In comparison with the bulk counterpart, nanostructured conductive polymers with different dimensions such as nanospheres, nano-networks, nanotubes and nanowire arrays are produced through distinct methods, thus presenting unique and distinct performance endowed by the nanometer scale. The combination of conductive polymers with other functional materials results in a number of the composites with improved properties by synergistic effect. The superior performance of conductive polymers and their composites greatly facilitates their development toward various important applications in the advanced and sophisticated fields such as biological utilization, energy storage and sensors. Due to their excellent biocompatibility, conductive polymers and their composites stand out to be useful in the biological field including tissue engineering, drug delivery and artificial muscle. To meet the urgent demand of the energy storage, conductive polymers and their composites play an important role in the devices including supercapacitors, solar cells and fuel cells. Finally, development of conductive polymers and their composites in the modern industry is greatly enhanced by their applications in smart sensors such as conductometric sensors, gravimetric sensors, optical sensors, chemical sensors and biosensors. This book has significant value for researchers, graduate students, and engineers carrying out the fundamental research or industrial production of conductive polymers and their composites.

With its content taken from only the very latest results, this is an extensive summary of the various polymeric materials used for biomedical applications. Following an introduction listing various functional polymers, including conductive, biocompatible and conjugated polymers, the book goes on to discuss different synthetic polymers that can be used, for example, as hydrogels, biochemical sensors, functional surfaces, and natural degradable materials. Throughout, the focus is on applications, with worked examples for training purposes as well as case studies included. The whole is rounded off with a look at future trends.

The articles included in this text highlight the important advances in polymer science that impact tissue engineering. The breadth of polymer science is well represented with the relevance of both polymer chemistry and morphology emphasized in terms of cell and tissue response.