Current research on the blends of natural and synthetic polymers as new biomaterials: Review

This review reports recent advances in the field of the blends of natural and synthetic polymers as new biomaterials. These materials have attracted both academic, and, for several blends, industrial attention because they exhibit improvements in properties required in the biomedical field. Herein, the structure, preparation and properties of the blends of natural and man-made polymer are discussed in general, and detailed examples are also drawn from scientific literature and practical work. The most common natural polymers: collagen, chitosan, elastin, keratin and silk are discussed as a components of blends with man-made polymers. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.