Auxetic fibrous materials and structures in medical engineering – a review

Auxetic materials are the materials that expand in the transverse direction when stretched in the longitudinal direction. Auxetics materials are a boon to the field of biomedical engineering, as most of the human tissues have auxeticity. In case of repair or transplant of the damaged tissue or organ, auxetic biomedical structures are of great importance as they conform to the usual human body mechanics. Textile materials and structures have been used in the field of biomedical engineering for decades. Of late, auxetic textile structures have received special attention due to intensive research in the field of technical textiles. This review focuses on the application of auxetic textile materials in the field of biomedical engineering.