Thermoresponsive Polymers for Biomedical Applications 英文参考文献.docVIP

Polymers 2011, 3, 1215-1242; doi:10.3390/polym3031215 OPEN ACCESS polymers ISSN 2073-4360 /journal/polymers Review Thermoresponsive Polymers for Biomedical Applications Mark A. Ward * and Theoni K. Georgiou Surfactant Colloid Group, Department of Chemistry, The University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Kingston upon Hull, HU6 7RX, UK; E-Mail: T.Georgiou@hull.ac.uk * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: M.Ward@2005.hull.ac.uk; Tel.: +44-1482-466-408; Fax: +44-1482-466-410. Received: 1 July 2011 / Accepted: 29 July 2011 / Published: 3 August 2011 Abstract: Thermoresponsive polymers are a class of “smart” materials that have the ability to respond to a change in temperature; a property that makes them useful materials in a wide range of applications and consequently attracts much scientific interest. This review focuses mainly on the studies published over the last 10 years on the synthesis and use of thermoresponsive polymers for biomedical applications including drug delivery, tissue engineering and gene delivery. A summary of the main applications is given following the different studies on thermoresponsive polymers which are categorized based on their 3-dimensional structure; hydrogels, interpenetrating networks, micelles, crosslinked micelles, polymersomes, films and particles. Keywords: biopolymer; thermoresponsive; stimuli responsive; smart materials; gene delivery; drug delivery; tissue engineering; gels; polymer networks; hydrogels; micelles; nanoparticles; polymersomes 1. Introduction “Smart” materials, i.e., materials that have the ability to respond to external stimuli, represent one of the most exciting and immerging class of materials [1-9]. One of the main groups of “smart” materials is based on polymers because they are cheaper and more easily tailored than metals or ceramics. These polymeric “smart” materials can respond to stimuli such as pH, temperature, ionic