Nano-porous biaxially stretched ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) membrane has the advantages of excellent mechanical robustness, stable thermal property, homogenous porous structure, and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, the fabrication of UHMWPE membrane and its application in dura mater substitute is systematically studied. Also, the PE membrane laminated with a conductive mono-layer graphene was investigated as an electronic dura mater (e-dura) for intracranial pressure sensing.

Dura mater, which is the outermost meninge under the skull, functions to protect the central nervous system, while the defects in dura mater may result in severe life-threatening complications. A composite membrane which consists of hybridization of polydimethylsiloxane (PDM...[ Read more ]

Nano-porous biaxially stretched ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) membrane has the advantages of excellent mechanical robustness, stable thermal property, homogenous porous structure, and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, the fabrication of UHMWPE membrane and its application in dura mater substitute is systematically studied. Also, the PE membrane laminated with a conductive mono-layer graphene was investigated as an electronic dura mater (e-dura) for intracranial pressure sensing.

Dura mater, which is the outermost meninge under the skull, functions to protect the central nervous system, while the defects in dura mater may result in severe life-threatening complications. A composite membrane which consists of hybridization of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with UHMWPE membrane was designed and fabricated to develop a dura mater substitute. This potential graft exhibits high optical transparency (60%-80%), which is beneficial for monitoring intracranial circumstances during neurosurgery; it is impermeable to water, contributing to prevent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage; the Young’s modulus of the substitute material (35 MPa) is in the range of natural dura mater, which is essential in avoiding mechanical mismatch; it is biocompatible and has no obvious cytotoxicity. This soft, compliant, transparent and biocompatible material shows great potential in the application in dura mater replacements.

Also, an etching- and intermediate-free graphene transfer method is applied to transfer graphene onto UHMWPE membrane. The graphene transfer relies on the partially melting of PE film at PE/graphene interface under annealing. The membrane with uniform graphene coverage shows robust mechanical property, excellent thermal stability, high transparency and high piezoresistive sensitivity. Therefore, this composite film is a promising candidate as an e-dura for monitoring intracranial pressure change within the skull.