ABSTRACT
Novel materials with electrical properties similar to that of bone have recently gained much attention for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. The concept of conducting polymers is well explored in the areas of sensors, actuators, organic-LEDs and battery applications. This chapter deals with some of the prime examples of materials influencing cell response that can potentially aid in cell and tissue regeneration. The compressive and tensile stresses on the bone tissue generate the negative and positive charges, respectively, in the closed vicinity of physiologically stressed sections. The inherent electrcial properties of the tissue play an important role in assisting the number of metabolic activities in bone. The driving force behind the idea of Hydroxyapatite-BaTiO3 (HA-BT) ceramic composites is to give implant materials (HA-BT) bone-like properties, mainly piezoelectricity.
