Thermoplastic elastomers in biomedical industry – evolution and current trends

The thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have traditionally been used as engineered elastomers (alone or as parts of a complex system) for various therapeutic or diagnostic procedures due to their processibility, enhanced mechanical and physicochemical properties, along with the ability to undergo large deformation. This comprehensive spotlight aims to reveal why TPEs have emerged to be a huge success in biomedical industries, undermining the popularity of the traditional crosslinked elastomers. Moreover, the narrative walks through the development of TPEs, especially in the last decade, to perceive some of the breakthroughs in the TPE industry, enabling the readers to answer why TPE is blooming significantly in biomedical sciences.