Biomedical technology

Bioengineers test biodegradable bandage for treating chronic wounds

Chronic skin wounds that never heal can be disfiguring and painful. In the journal Biomaterials, University of Connecticut bioengineers describe a special scaffold for new skin that also kills bacteria. Their invention has ...

Gastroenterology

Anti-inflammatory nanoparticles mimic glycocalyx in IBD patients

Cases of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are on the rise worldwide. The benefits of current medications to treat patients with these diseases are limited by problematic ...

Biomedical technology

Engineering team develops multifunctional tendon-mimetic hydrogels

Repairing or replacing injured tendons or similar load-bearing tissues represents one of the major challenges in clinical medicine. Natural tendons are water-rich tissues exhibiting outstanding mechanical strength and durability. ...

Immunology

Less painful, more convenient antibody treatments

Antibody treatments exist for many diseases, but require injections or IV infusions, which are painful, inconvenient and carry risks. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Connecticut has created a way to deliver ...

page 1 from 13

Polymer

A polymer (from Greek πολύ-ς /po΄li-s/ much, many and μέρος /΄meros/ part) is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties.

Due to the extraordinary range of properties accessible in polymeric materials , they have come to play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life - from plastics and elastomers on the one hand to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are essential for life on the other. A simple example is polyethylene, whose repeating unit is based on ethylene (IUPAC name ethene) monomer. Most commonly, as in this example, the continuously linked backbone of a polymer consists mainly of carbon atoms. However, other structures do exist; for example, elements such as silicon form familiar materials such as silicones, examples being silly putty and waterproof plumbing sealant. The backbone of DNA is in fact based on a phosphodiester bond, and repeating units of polysaccharides (e.g. cellulose) are joined together by glycosidic bonds via oxygen atoms.

Natural polymeric materials such as shellac, amber, and natural rubber have been in use for centuries. Biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids play crucial roles in biological processes. A variety of other natural polymers exist, such as cellulose, which is the main constituent of wood and paper.

The list of synthetic polymers includes synthetic rubber, Bakelite, neoprene, nylon, PVC, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, PVB, silicone, and many more.

Polymers are studied in the fields of polymer chemistry, polymer physics, and polymer science.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA