The Grunlan Research Group designs novel polymeric biomaterials to improve the performance of medical devices. Polymer structure is tailored at the molecular-level in order to alter specific macroscopic material properties and establish useful structure-property relationships. Predictive relationships between polymer structure, materials properties, and performance in a particular application is critical to develop the next generation of biomaterials and medical devices. A principal distinction of our research is the development of inorganic silicon-containing polymers and their combination with organic polymers to obtain "hybrid" materials with unique properties.