Polymers have been shown to have many advantageous mechanical and chemical properties such as imperviousness to water, low toxicity, chemical and heat resistance, and shape-memory properties. Additionally, polymers are often relatively low cost, easy to manufacture, and versatile in application. These characteristics have led to the use of polymers in many applications such as, for example, medical devices, electronics, optics, computing, and a wide-array of consumer products.
Adding pores to one or more surfaces of a polymer structure may provide further advantages, such as, for example, increasing friction at the one or more porous surfaces and providing better device integration in surgical applications by promoting adjacent tissue in-growth. However, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, introducing porosity into polymers may, in some instances, weaken desired mechanical properties, such as shear strength at the porous surface. Thus, although introducing pores into such polymers may have certain advantages, it has been limited in application due to a loss in mechanical properties.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds