Surgical implants are commonly used in abdominal wall surgery for hernia repair. Many different prostheses are currently offered to surgeons, comprising permanent synthetic polymer meshes and biologic scaffolds. There is a wide range of synthetic meshes currently available on the market with differing chemical compositions, fiber conformations, and mesh textures. These chemical and structural characteristics determine a specific biochemical and mechanical behavior and play a crucial role in guaranteeing a successful post-operative outcome. Although an increasing number of studies report on the structural and mechanical properties of synthetic surgical meshes, nowadays there are no consistent guidelines for the evaluation of mechanical biocompatibility or common criteria for the selection of prostheses. The aim of this work is to review synthetic meshes by considering the extensive bibliography documentation of their use in abdominal wall surgery, taking into account their material and structural properties, in Part I, and their mechanical behavior, in Part II. The main materials available for the manufacture of polymeric meshes are described, including references to their chemical composition, fiber conformation, and textile structural properties. These characteristics are decisive for the evaluation of mesh-tissue interaction process, including foreign body response, mesh encapsulation, infection, and adhesion formation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2015

Renewable poly(ether‐block‐amide)s (PEBAs), with different polyamide/polyether (PA/PE) ratios, are characterized for the development of biomedical devices. The effect of the chemical composition on the mechanical properties is studied via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and broadband electric spectro­scopy (BES). FTIR spectroscopy evidences the presence of different PA crystalline domains depending on the PA/PE ratio, as also evidenced by TGA and DSC. Such differences influence the molecular dynamics, as shown by DMA and BES, and the mechanical properties characterized by tensile tests. Indeed, PEBAs with a higher PA/PE ratio are stiffer due to a higher crystalline degree.

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