How Polyurethane Can Be Tailored for Your Precise Application

The versatility of polyurethane is now even greater with the availability of a technique that can intentionally design polyurethanes to have a specific set of properties for a specific application.

For orthopaedic and cardiovascular implant applications, polyurethane can be intentionally designed to be resistant to degradation. For applications where degradation is required such in drug delivery and tissue engineering, polyurethanes can be designed to have enhanced and controlled degradation rates. This intriguing development was discussed in Medical Device Technology’s latest webinar: New Possibilities With Polyurethanes. The webinar was sponsored by Qosina, the component supplier company.

The versatility of polyurethane was explored in two talks together with the technology that delivers these exciting options for medical device designers. Bob Ward, President and Chief Executive Officer of DSM PTG, outlined new implant applications for biostable polyurethanes. These include neural stimulation devices and more recently those for the demanding area of orthopaedics where usage extends from 20 up to 40 years. For example, he reported a lumbar spinal device that is currently in clinical trials and a finger joint now under development.

Aylvin Dias, Research and Development Manager at DSM Biomedical, discussed the range of chemistries that can be incorporated into polyurethane to make materials that degrade in a controlled way, from days, to weeks or years, as required. He referred to a molecular toolbox that can manipulate the building blocks of polyurethane and tailor in the desired functionality. DSM is not the only company active in the area of biodegradable polyurethane. Dr Dias highlighted seven companies that now offer commercially available versions for a variety of applications.

The technique developed by DSM PTG is self-assembling monolayer end groups. For those who want to learn more, the webinar can be accessed for the next three months by clicking on the webinar banner on Medical Device Technology’s web site. The technique is also described in detail in the September issue of Medical Device Technology.

This is obviously a growing area of development and wise companies will want to assess whether they could use this technique for their next generation devices.