An Introduction to Biocomposites

Book excerpt: Many years of cumulative research has been conducted on the usage of fiber-reinforced composites for biomedical application, but no one source exists where this topic is dealt with systematically. This book addresses polymer composites applied to bioengineering in a comprehensive manner.For potential applications to be successful, full advantage must be taken of the materials properties and the manufacturing techniques to meet the needs of biomedical application. This book focuses on fiber-based composites applied to bioengineering. It addresses three main areas. First, it presents a comprehensive survey of biocomposites from the existing literature in various medical applications, paying particular attention to hard-tissue-related implants. Second, mechanical designs and manufacturing aspects of various fibrous polymer matrix composites are described. The third area concerns examples of the design and development of several medical devices and implants using polymer composites.Chapter 1: Introduction (288 KB)