Laser Ablated Janus Hydrogel Composite Membrane for Draining Excessive Blood and Biofluid around Wounds

In order to avoid bacterial infection and mechanical damage to minor skin wounds, a bandage is usually put on the surface of the wound. The existing textile bandage can quickly absorb biofluids on the wound surface, but these absorbed biofluids remain in the interface between the wound and the bandage, which may not avoid the infection caused by these biofluids. Herein, a hydrophobic/hydrophilic Janus hydrogel composite membrane (JHCM) with a commercial band-aid to achieve efficient cleaning of the biofluids on the wound surface is combined. By using the UV curing and femtosecond laser perforation method to fabricate the JHCM, the unidirectional biofluid transport performance of this JHCM is investigated. The JHCM can pump this biofluid to the hydrophilic layer through the hydrophilic inner wall of conical micropores and hydrogel layer driven. Also, this JHCM can weaken undesired wet adhesion and heat loss due to the removal of liquid while maintaining excellent antibacterial properties. Compared to the commercial band-aid, there is significantly better in vivo wound healing effects for the JHCM@ band-aid. This study is valuable for designing and fabricating next-generation bandages with high performance for clinical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, a hydrophobic/hydrophilic Janus hydrogel composite membrane (JHCM) is combined with a commercial band-aid to achieve efficient cleaning of biofluids on the wound surface. The JHCM can pump biofluids to the hydrophilic layer through the hydrophilic inner wall of conical micropores and hydrogel layer, while weakening undesired wet adhesion and heat loss. Compared to the commercial band-aid, the JHCM@ band-aid shows significantly better in vivo wound healing effects.