Advanced polymer composites and structures for bone and cartilage tissue engineering

No single material is able to mimic the composition, structure and properties of native tissues, and in particular those of the musculoskeletal system. This chapter will discuss the potential of polymer composites to contribute for the development of strategies aiming to recover and regenerate damaged tissues.

The chapter includes a brief analysis of the constituents and morphology of the natural extracellular matrix of bone and cartilage. Next, it is discussed the structural requirements needed to meet the demands of functional tissues. The chapter proceeds reviewing available polymer composites for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. The analysis starts with established polymer composites and proceeds towards the most advanced systems, emphasizing the methods of functionalization available to obtain high performance composite structures for biomedical applications.