In Situ Doping of Metal Nanoparticles into Medical Polymer Membranes and Their Biomedical Application

The problems faced by polymer implants in human body put forward higher requirements. Here, in-situ doping method was proposed to introduce metal nanoparticles into polymer membranes to realize several biomedical functions by long-term releasing metal ions evenly and slowly. Two kinds of polymer films, planar polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and porous polyurethane (pPU) films with the addition of zinc oxide and copper nanoparticles respectively were chosen as the research objects. The structures of the metal nanoparticle-doped polymer membranes were characterized, and the release behaviors and biomedical effects of metal ions were studied. Results showed that the released zinc ions can realize anti-bacterial property and promote osteoblast proliferation, while the released copper ions can achieve the task of anticoagulation, antimicrobial and promotion of endothelial cell growth. The in-situ doping method may have great potential to construct multifunctional biomaterial films for versatile biomedical applications.