ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Polyisobutylene and block copolymer and its crosslinked product are a kind of novel thermoplastic elastomer. They have unique properties and excellent biocompatibility, which is a promising medical biomaterial and applied extensively. OBJECTIVE: To review the research progress and applications of polyisobutylene and its thermoplastic elastomers, and to discuss the application prospect of polyisobutylene-based polymers as medical implant materials. METHODS: A computer-based retrieval of PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI and WanFang databases was conducted for the articles about polyisobutylene published from 1958 to 2019. The key words were “polyisobutylene and block copolymer, polyisobutylene and thermoplastic elastomer, polyisobutylene and biomaterials, polyisobutylene and modification, polyisobutylene and medical application” in English and Chinese, respectively. In accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 65 eligible articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Polyisobutylene and block copolymer and its crosslinked products have favorable biocompatibility and stability. By making full use of polyisobutylene-based materials’ advantages, with the combination of other biomaterials and usage of new technology for surface modification, the copolymer will be more competitive in the field of medical implant in the future, including eye implant materials, soft biomaterials and drug delivery systems.