Updates on polyurethane and its multifunctional applications in biomedical engineering

Abstract

Polyurethanes (PU) have properties that make them promising in biomedical applications. PU is recognized as one of the main families of blood and biocompatible materials. PU plays a vital role in the design of medical devices in various medical fields. The structure of PU contains two segments: soft and hard. Its elastomeric feature is due to its soft segment, and its excellent and high mechanical property is because of its hard segment. It is possible to achieve specific desirable and targeted properties by changing the soft and hard chemical structures and the ratio between them. The many properties of PU each draw the attention of different medical fields. This work reviews PU highlighted properties, such as biodegradability, biostability, shape memory, and improved antibacterial activity. Also, because PU has a variety of applications, this review restricts its focus to PU's prominent applications in tissue engineering (TE), cardiovascular medicine, drug delivery, and wound healing. In addition, it contains a brief review of PU's applications in biosensors and oral administration.