Bioinspired Superwettable Catheters with Tunable Structural Color for Efficient Drug Release Monitoring

Medical interventional catheters are indispensable medical devices that are continuing to reshape current practice in many specialties of clinical applications. However, there has been rapid development of catheters, it remains many challenges in antibiofilm and effective drug delivering. Inspired by natural creatures, a bioinspired superwettable catheter is developed which is constructed with inverse opal photonic crystals hydrogel. The superwettability property is achieved by creating a slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) where the motion state of droplets changes. The expansion and contraction of the hydrogel endow the catheter with tunable structural color and drug release properties. Thus, the catheter could not only report the variation of the drug release process via SLIPS phenomenon obviously but also quantitatively give feedback on the drug release process through visually structural color variations. The multifunctional superwettable catheter shows good antibacterial performance and can be used for drug release monitoring which has excellent prospects in biomedical applications.

Automated summary

Medical interventional catheters are essential devices that are revolutionizing clinical applications in various specialties. However, challenges still exist in terms of antibiofilm properties and effective drug delivery. Inspired by nature, a bioinspired superwettable catheter has been developed using inverse opal photonic crystals hydrogel. This catheter features a slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) that changes the motion state of droplets. The catheter's tunable structural color and drug release properties, achieved through the expansion and contraction of the hydrogel, allow it to report and quantitatively feedback on the drug release process. With excellent antibacterial performance and drug release monitoring capabilities, this multifunctional superwettable catheter holds great promise in biomedical applications.