Polyurethane (PU), as a broad class of polymers with the presence of urethane groups, has been a popular biomedical polymer. During the past two decades, the biomedical PU family has undergone a "creative transformation" from traditional non-biodegradable to biodegradable polymers, and from medical device raw materials to materials designed for the new eras of regenerative medicine and precision medicine with various novel forms (scaffolds, sponges, hydrogel, cryogel, and printing ink) and smart properties (thermo/photo-responsiveness, injectability, shape memory, and 3D printability). This review will describe the gradual and constantly evolving path to today's PUs.
Date:
2022-02
Relation:
Journal of Polymer Research. 2022 Feb;29(2):Article number 70.
