Composite materials are engineered materials, prepared from two or more constituents with considerably different physical or chemical properties which remain separate on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. Due to their special mechanic... Read more

Composite materials are engineered materials, prepared from two or more constituents with considerably different physical or chemical properties which remain separate on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. Due to their special mechanical and physical properties they have the potential to replace conventional materials in various fields such as the biomedical industry. In biomedical applications, composites of a polymeric matrix and ceramic fillers have been mainly used for drug delivery systems and for improving the mechanical properties of medical devices. Biocomposites have been incorporated into a wide variety of biomedical devices including dental implants, coatings on Ti based hip implants, biodegradable scaffolds, and other types of orthopedic implant. Currently, there are a variety of materials and processes to regenerate and replace (with adequate fidelity) human tissue. Bone, cartilage, skin, cardiovascular prosthesis, and partial organ tissue regeneration and reconstruction are now possible and have shown promise for a large portion of individuals that have special needs because of tissue loss or organ failure. Biomedical Composites mainly describes some potential applications and the related properties of various composites by focusing on bio-medical composites and their applications in dental or tissue materials. Advances in biomedical composites have been focused on the design of dental and orthopedic implants, which are mainly structural applications. However, tremendous stiffness and strength improvement is not always the concern in the design of biomedical composites and even less so for large weight savings. Other concerns, such as biocompatibility, precise property matching, mimicking natural structures, etc., can become more important, yet these too are areas where composites offer much promise in device design. Engineers and materials scientists who are used to working with traditional materials such as metal alloys, ceramics, and plastics are increasingly challenged to design with composites that have different physical characteristics, mechanical behaviors, and processing methods. This book serves as valuable guide to engineers and materials scientists, chemists, physicists, and biologists, and researchers as well. Less