FURI | Fall 2020

Investigating PEG-Polyurethane for Biomedical Applications

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PEG-Polyurethane is being used for biomedical applications such as in catheters, heart valves and in tissue regeneration including bone. Improvements in the polymer’s properties are needed to specifically facilitate different types of clinical needs. This research aims to study the structure, function and key properties of Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-polyurethane for biomedical applications due to its known qualities of variable degradability and injectability. Polymeric films were created to analyze accelerated degradation over time and swelling capacity, with future plans to analyze variable ratios of monomer/linkages to identify the ideal batch for the application.

Student researcher

Alicia Salas

Alicia Salas

Biomedical engineering

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Graduation date: Spring 2021