Journal
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
Volume 30, Issue 36, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202004145
Keywords
dynamic devices; polypropylene meshes; surgical implants; thermosensitive hydrogels
Categories
Funding
- European Union [796292]
- MINECO [RTI2018-098951-B-I00]
- Agencia de Gestio d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca [2017SGR359]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Herein, a facile approach toward transforming a 2D polypropylene flexible mesh material into a 4D dynamic system is presented. The versatile platform, composed by a substrate of knitted fibers of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) mesh and a coating of thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N'-methylene bis(acrylamide) (PNIPAAm-co-MBA) hydrogel, covalently bonded to the mesh surface, after cold-plasma surface treatment and radical polymerization, is intended to undergo variations in its geometry via its reversible folding/unfolding behavior. The study is the first to trace the 3D movement of a flat surgical mesh, intended to repair hernia defects, under temperature and humidity control. An infrared thermographic camera and an optical microscope are used to evaluate the macroscopic and microscopic structure stimulus response. The presence of the PP substrate and the distribution of the gel surrounding the PP threads, affect both the PNIPAAM gel expansion/contraction as well as the time of folding/unfolding response. Furthermore, PP-g-PNIPAAm meshes show an increase in the bursting strength of approximate to 16% with respect to the uncoated mesh, offering a strongest and adaptable system for its future implantation in human body. The findings reported offer unprecedented application possibilities in the biomedical field.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available