ABSTRACT
Polymeric biomaterials originated as off-the-shelf materials that clinicians were able to use in solving a problem, for example, dialysis tubing was originally made of cellulose acetate, vascular grafts were fabricated from Dacron, and artificial hearts were molded from polyurethanes (PUs) [2]. However, these materials did not possess the chemical, physical, and biological properties necessary to prevent further complications. Recent advances in synthetic techniques have allowed these properties to be imparted on polymeric biomaterials, which help to alleviate accompanying biocompatibility issues. Nanotechnology, as this chapter will describe, further adds to the ability of chemically tailoring polymeric materials to provide more opportunities for revolutionary breakthroughs in the science and technology associated with developing novel devices. Undoubtedly, nanoscale science and engineering has the potential to have a profound impact on medical science and technology, which will lead to improved diagnostics and enhanced therapeutic methods [4].
