Biodegradable Elastomeric Polymers and MEMS in Tissue Engineering

Within the past decade, researchers in the field of tissue engineering have recognized the need for newmaterials with soft and elastic properties. As a result, many groups have focused on the synthesis, characterization, and application of materials with a wide range of biodegradable and elastomeric properties.1 The combination of these polymers with Micro–Electro–Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technologies has sparked a new area of research with increasing practical applications.2 The following chapter discusses important design criteria for creating polymers with elastomeric properties, recently researched biodegradable elastomers, and the use of MEMS in combination with biodegradable elastomers in tissue engineering applications.