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Updated: Nov 27, 2025
Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Porous polymeric membranes: fabrication techniques and biomedical applications
Amane Shiohara1, Beatriz Prieto-Simon2, Nicolas H Voelcker1
1Drug Delivery, Deposition, and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. nicolas.voelcker@monash.edu and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia and Melbourne Centre of Nanofabrication, Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia.
Abstract:
Porous polymeric membranes have shown great potential in biological and biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, bioseparation, and biosensing, due to their structural flexibility, versatile surface chemistry, and biocompatibility. This review outlines the advantages and limitations of the fabrication techniques commonly used to produce porous polymeric membranes, with especial focus on those featuring nano/submicron scale pores, which include track etching, nanoimprinting, block-copolymer self-assembly, and electrospinning. Recent advances in membrane technology have been key to facilitate precise control of pore size, shape, density and surface properties. The review provides a critical overview of the main biological and biomedical applications of these porous polymeric membranes, especially focusing on drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensing, and bioseparation. The effect of the membrane material and pore morphology on the role of the membranes for each specific application as well as the specific fabrication challenges, and future prospects of these membranes are thoroughly discussed.
