Biodegradable polymer matrix nanocomposites for tissue engineering: A review

Nanocomposites have emerged in the last two decades as an efficient strategy to upgrade the structural and functional properties of synthetic polymers. Aliphatic polyesters as polylactide (PLA), poly(glycolides) (PGA), poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) have attracted wide attention for their biodegradability and biocompatibility in the human body. A logic consequence has been the introduction of organic and inorganic nanofillers into biodegradable polymers to produce nanocomposites based on hydroxyapatite, metal nanoparticles or carbon nanotructures, in order to prepare new biomaterials with enhanced properties. Consequently, the improvement of interfacial adhesion between the polymer and the nanostructures has become the key technique in the nanocomposite process. In this review, different results on the fabrication of nanocomposites based on biodegradable polymers for specific field of tissue engineering are presented. The combination of bioresorbable polymers and nanostructures open new perspectives in the self-assembly of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with tuneable mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.