Elaborating Polyurethane Pillowy Soft Mat on Polypropylene Monofilament Surface with Stepwise Surface Treatments

The dissatisfactory mechanical compliance between stiff polypropylene (PP) and soft human tissue is one of the main factors causing the implanted complication of PP mesh devices such as chronic abdominopelvic pain and mesh exposure. This work aims to improve the mechanical compliance of PP monofilament to human tissue without compromising the mechanical properties by elaborating polyurethane pillowy soft mat on the PP monofilament surface. Combining polarity pretreatment with dopamine-sedimentation, stiff PP monofilament can be wrapped up facilely and tightly in soft polyurethane to obtain PU/PP complex fiber with a core-shell structure. Notably, the interfacial shear strengths (IFSS) between stepwise treated PP monofilament and PU mat can effectively increase 586% compared to raw PP. This work provides a promising surface modification strategy to improve the interfacial adhesion between PP monofilament and PU mat. The obtained novel PU/PP complex fiber with pillowy soft mat would be a potential application in abdominal wall defects, hernia repair and pelvic organ prolapsed surgery.