Polymers for medical applications

The paper starts with some general introductory comments on properties and influence factors such as biocompatibility, surface structure, processibility and purity. Hence it is derived that polyurethanes deserve special attention as biomaterials, which is explained by the variability of the structure. A number of examples with new types of polyurethane elastomers are described, their advantages and disadvantages are pointed out, and conclusions are drawn for further research.