Ruedee HemstapatWaraporn SuvannaprukFaungchat ThammarakcharoenSorayouth ChumnanvejJintamai SuwanprateebFaculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol UniversityThailand National Metal and Materials Technology CenterMahidol University2020-06-022020-06-022020-01-01Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine. (2020)20413033095441192-s2.0-85085050518https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/56185© IMechE 2020. Ideally, alloplastic dural substitute should have functional properties resembling human dura mater and retain a watertight closure to prevent cerebrospinal leakage. Therefore, functional properties for successful dural closure application of newly developed bilayer oxidized regenerated cellulose knitted fabric/poly ε-caprolactone knitted fabric-reinforced composites were studied and compared with human cadaveric dura mater and three commercial dural substitutes including two collagen matrices and one synthetic poly-L-lactide patch. It was found that oxidized regenerated cellulose knitted fabric/poly ε-caprolactone knitted fabric-reinforced composites uniquely contained a bilayer structure consisting of micropores distributed within the relatively dense microstructure. Density, tensile properties and stitch tear strength of oxidized regenerated cellulose knitted fabric/poly ε-caprolactone knitted fabric-reinforced composites were found to be closed to human cadaveric dura mater than those of dense-type and porous-type dural substitutes. Water tightness performance in both sutured and non-sutured forms of oxidized regenerated cellulose knitted fabric/poly ε-caprolactone knitted fabric-reinforced composites was slightly inferior to human cadaveric dura mater, but still better than those of commercial dural substitutes. This study revealed that oxidized regenerated cellulose knitted fabric/poly ε-caprolactone knitted fabric-reinforced composite showed better functional properties than typical dural substitutes and was found to be a good candidate for being employed as a dural substitute. The role and relationship of both microstructure and the type of materials on the functional properties and water tightness of the dural substitutes were also elucidated.Mahidol UniversityEngineeringArticleSCOPUS10.1177/0954411920926071