Biomaterial
A
biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. As a science,
biomaterials is about fifty years old. The study of biomaterials is called
biomaterials science. It has experienced steady and strong growth over its history, with many companies investing large amounts of money into the development of new products. Biomaterials science encompasses elements of medicine, biology, chemistry, tissue engineering and materials science. The iridescent nacre inside a nautilus shell. IUPAC definition
Material exploited in contact with living tissues, organisms, or microorganisms.
Note 1: The notion of exploitation includes utility for applications and for fundamental research to understand reciprocal perturbations as well.
Note 2: The definition “non-viable material used in a medical device, intended to interact with biological systems” recommended in ref. cannot be extended to the environmental field where people mean “material of natural origin”.
Note 3: This general term should not be confused with the terms
biopolymer or
biomacromolecule.