ABSTRACT
Aliphatic, semialiphatic, and aromatic amide- and imide-type polymers form two related families of synthetic, biocompatible, and biostable or biodegradable polymorphic macromolecular compounds, which are of real interest to the biomedical field.
These types of polymers impart excellent thermal and mechanical properties and present plenty of possibilities for processing and functionalization in order to fulfill a handful of complex requirements of current biomedical topics.
This chapter attempts to touch on some deep insights into the considerable potential of these polymeric materials in several biomedical areas, by reviewing some of the new concepts of molecular design, bio- and hemocompatibility, physical and chemical features of interest for the envisaged area, functionalization potential, processing opportunities, and some clinical trials.
The chapter covers some success stories regarding the use of polymeric materials based on amidic and imidic building blocks in various biomedical applications like micropatterned cell substrates; biomedical fibers; antimicrobial materials; sutures; catheters; delivery vehicles for controlled drug release; medical implants; DNA-interactive applications; gene therapy; tissue engineering; and neuronal and electrocardiographic sensors.
