Bioinert, biodegradable and injectable polymeric matrix composites for hard tissue replacement: state of the art and recent developments

The present review paper examines the use of different types of polymeric matrix composites in hard tissue replacement applica- tions.Thereviewpresentstheactualstateoftheartinthefieldsofbioinertcompositesforpermanentapplications,biodegradable matrixcompositesfortemporaryapplicationsandtheemergingareaofinjectablecomposites.Inallcasessomerecentdevelop- mentsarealsodiscussed.Thepaperstartswithanintroductiontolocatethereader.Bone–analoguecompositesarethenextensively discussed.Severalothersystemsbasedonaninertpolymericmatrixaredescribed,focusingontheirproposedapplications.Agreat emphasisisafterwardsgiventobiodegradablematrixsystems.Themostwidelyusedsyntheticbioresorbablesystemsareanalysed andcomparedwithanexampleofnaturalorigindegradablecomposites–starchbasedcomposites.Finally,compositesystemsthat are non-processable by melt based routes and in many cases injectable are discussed in detail, including several recent developments on this emerging area of research.