Functional Dendritic Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Dendrimers are class of highly branched nanostructures, consisting of a central core, a branched dendritic interior, and an exterior surface possessing multiple functional groups. Their well-defined compact size and shape, multivalent nature, and a high degree of molecular uniformity make them preferred choice of candidates for various biomedical and engineering applications. Dendrimers are utilized for biomedical implant coatings, solubility enhancement, drug-delivery systems, chemical sensors, medical diagnostics, catalysts, separation agents, high-performance polymers, building blocks of supermolecules and, etc. The unique property of dendritic macromolecules, in combination with the other characteristics, have shown significant potential as functional coatings for biomedical implants. These have been utilized in the form of (1) composite, (2) soft coating materials, and (3) template for fabricating biomedical implants. The dendrimer incorporated with implant have offered multifunctional roles including drug loading, antibacterial film, passivating layer, biocompatibility, and osseointegration, etc. This chapter discusses the current state-of-art on various applications of dendrimer for design and development of biomedical implants, wherein the main focus is on properties of dendrimer and their functional advantages. The strategies for fabricating the dendritic soft coating on various types of biomedical implant substrates and the development of dendritic nanocomposites, for their use as biomedical implants, will also be highlighted.