Recent advances and applications of polymeric materials in healthcare sector and COVID-19 management

Rasmeet Singh; Jagmehak Kaur; Kashvi Gupta; Mandeep Singh; Rahul Kanaoujiya; Navneet Kaur

doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2022.02.472

Recent advances and applications of polymeric materials in healthcare sector and COVID-19 management

Mater Today Proc. 2022:62:2878-2882. doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2022.02.472. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Authors

Rasmeet Singh¹, Jagmehak Kaur², Kashvi Gupta², Mandeep Singh³, Rahul Kanaoujiya⁴, Navneet Kaur⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
² Dr. S.S. Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh -160 014, India.
³ School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
⁴ Synthetic inorganic and Metallo-Organic Research laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Allahabad, Pryagraj 211002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁵ Doutta Galla Harmony Village, Shepparton, Victoria 3630, Australia.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease pandemic is considered at its worst and all nations are collectively fighting to improve global public health. In this outlook, polymers and their related materials (including plastics) are the primary sources in the manufacturing of medical and personal protective equipment. Plastics can be mass-produced, economical, and sterilized, which makes them an inevitable material in the medical and healthcare sector. Along with plastics, antibacterial and antiviral coatings, polymeric nanomaterials and nanocomposites, and functional polymers have become excellent materials for COIVD-19. This review centres on the applications of polymer materials in managing the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the utilization of plastics with its healthcare applications are reviewed. Apart from this, major challenges and future directions of these materials have also been discussed. This review will help aspiring researchers to develop the basic understanding of polymeric materials currently employed in medical sector.

Keywords: ASSOCHAM, Associated Chamber of Commerce; Antimicrobial; BMW-2016, Bio-medical Waste Management Rules—2016; CDC, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; COVID-19; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; DPA, Defence Production Act; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; H1N1, Human influenza A; H9N2, Avian influenza; HDPE, high density polyethylene; ICMR, Indian Council of Medical Research; LDPE, low density polyethylene; NPs, nanoparticles; PC, polycarbonate; PES, polyethersulfone; PET, Polyethylene terephthalate; PMMA, polymethylmethacrylate; PP, polypropylene; PPE, personal protective equipment; PVC, polyvinyl chloride; Personal protective equipment; Plastics; Polymeric materials; RNA, ribonucleic acid; SARS-CoV-2; UNEP, United Nations Environment Programme; WHO, World Health Organization.

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