Applications
Applications of biodegradable polymers include sutures, controlled drug release, and tissue engineering. Biodegradable polymers also could be implemented in drug delivery. The polymer slowly degrades into smaller fragments, releasing a natural product, and there is controlled ability to release a drug. The drug slowly releases as polymer degrades.
Biodegradable polymers have been used to coat a stent and release drugs in a controlled way.
A holy grail is to create organs, such as the kidney from basic constituents. A scaffolding is necessary to grow the entity into a functioning organ. The scaffolding should dissolve away and needs to be biocompatible.
Another application involves the breakdown in landfills after being strong during its useful lifetime.
Read more about this topic: Biodegradable Polymer