Recent advances and remaining challenges for polymeric nanocomposites in healthcare applications

Remarkable advancements in material technologies have accelerated the use of many new materials and their hybrids and composites in diverse applications. Among such available options, polymer nanocomposites are recognized to have the potential to bring future revolution, especially because of their flexible functionalities and related advantages (e.g., good strength, large surface area to volume ratio, large flame retardancy, high elastic modulus, enhanced density, and thermo-mechanical/optoelectronic/magnetic properties). These nanocomposites have been successfully incorporated into diverse fields of applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, gene therapy, food preservation, biosensing, and bioimaging. Thus, the primary focus of this review is placed to give an integrated overview of polymer nanocomposites along with their synthesis routes, surface treatment strategies, and applications in the healthcare sector (e.g., drug delivery, 3D bio-implant, bioimaging, food processing, and other miscellaneous biomedical applications). Our discussion also highlights future directions for this emerging field of research. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.