The purpose of polymeric engineering materials is to substitute metallic materials mainly in their mechanical function. What is important, polymeric parts made in one production cycle use processing technologies such as; injection molding, extrusion or 3D printing. The resulting materials can work under load in a wide range of temperatures and stresses while being lighter than those made of metals and are not prone to corrosion. The functional properties of many products and their components depend not only on the ability to transfer mechanical loads or on its physicochemical properties, but very often or mainly on the structure and properties of the surface layers. Anti-corrosion layers applied by spraying, dipping or more advanced self-assembling monolayer techniques are an important branch of modern materials, both technical and biomedical.
The enhancement of the application possibilities of polymers are composite materials with polymer matrices. They make it possible to impart additional special functions i.e.; electro- and thermal-insulating or self-healing properties. The most important feature of structural composite materials is the possibility to design practically all properties of the material intended for a specific application. Thus, polymeric structural materials are used in construction, mechanics, electronics or mechatronics. The popularity of such material solutions is supported by economics and biosafety (the ability to recycle materials).
Another aspect of the polymeric materials application is their use in the field of biomaterials engineering. The interest in this group of materials is mainly focused on biomaterials and polymeric implants modified with biologically active substances that can be used in the regeneration of peripheral nerves or damages of the central nervous system. The possibility to modify the polymeric matrix by introducing particles showing electrical properties enables the application of such materials in reconstruction and stimulation of regeneration of electroactive tissues such as nerve and muscle tissue.
[1] Dariusz Szarek, Krzysztof Marycz, Anna Lis, Jadwiga Laska, Włodzimierz Jarmundowicz, Paweł Tabakow: Lizard tail spinal cord - a new experimental model of spinal cord injury witout limb paralysis FASEB J