Robust Effects of Graphene Oxide on Polyurethane/Tourmaline Nanocomposite Fiber

Application Progress of Multi-Functional Polymer Composite Nanofibers Based on Electrospinning: A Brief Review

Nanomaterials are known as the most promising materials of the 21st century, among which nanofibers have become a hot research and development topic in academia and industry due to their high aspect ratio, high specific surface area, high molecular orientation, high crystallinity, excellent mechanical properties, and many other advantages. Electrospinning is the most important preparation method for nanofibers and their thin membranes due to its controllability, versatility, low cost, and simplicity. Adding nanofillers such as ceramics, metals, and carbon materials to the electrospinning polymer solutions to prepare composites can further improve the mechanical strength and multi-functionality of nanofibers and their thin membranes and also provide possibilities for their widespread applications. Based on the rapid development in the field of polymer composite nanofibers, this review focuses on polyurethane (PU)-based composite nanofibers as the main representative and reviews their latest practical applications in many fields such as sound-absorbing materials, biomedical materials (including tissue engineering implants, drug delivery systems, wound dressings and other anti-bacterial materials, health materials, etc.), wearable sensing devices and energy harvesters, adsorbent materials, electromagnetic shielding materials, and reinforcement materials. Finally, a summary of their performance-application relationship and prospects for further development are given. This review is expected to provide some practical experience and theoretical guidance for further developments in related fields.

Preparation and Performance of a Novel ZnO/TM/PET Composite Negative Ion Functional Fiber

Using zinc oxide (ZnO), tourmaline (TM), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as main raw materials, a novel ZnO/TM/PET negative ion functional fiber was created. The rheological properties of a ZnO/TM/PET masterbatch were investigated; the morphology, XRD, and FT-IR of the fibers were observed; and the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and negative ion release properties of the new fiber were tested. The results showed that the average particle size of the ZnO/TM composite is nearly 365 nm, with an increase in negative ion emission efficiency by nearly 50% compared to the original TM. The apparent viscosity of fiber masterbatch decreases with the increase in the addition of the ZnO/TM composite, and the rheological properties of the PET fiber masterbatch are not significantly effected, still showing shear thinning characteristics when the amount of addition reaches 10%. The ZnO/TM composite disperses well in the interior and surface of the ZnO/TM/PET fiber matrix. The prepared ZnO/TM/PET fiber has excellent properties, such as fineness of 1.54 dtex, glass transition temperature of 122.4 °C, fracture strength of 3.31 cN/dtex, and negative ion release of 1640/cm3, which shows great industrialization potential.

Multifunctional biomimetic hydrogel dressing provides anti-infection treatment and improves immunotherapy by reprogramming the infection-related wound microenvironment

The advancement of biomaterials with antimicrobial and wound healing properties continues to present challenges. Macrophages are recognized for their significant role in the repair of infection-related wounds. However, the interaction between biomaterials and macrophages remains complex and requires further investigation. In this research, we propose a new sequential immunomodulation method to enhance and expedite wound healing by leveraging the immune properties of bacteria-related wounds, utilizing a novel mixed hydrogel dressing. The hydrogel matrix is derived from porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) and is loaded with a new type of bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBG) doped with magnesium (Mg-MBG) and loaded with Curcumin (Cur). This hybrid hydrogel demonstrates controlled release of Cur, effectively eradicating bacterial infection in the early stage of wound infection, and the subsequent release of Mg ions (Mg2+) synergistically inhibits the activation of inflammation-related pathways (such as MAPK pathway, NF-κB pathway, TNF-α pathway, etc.), suppressing the inflammatory response caused by infection. Therefore, this innovative hydrogel can safely and effectively expedite wound healing during infection. Our design strategy explores novel immunomodulatory biomaterials, offering a fresh approach to tackle current clinical challenges associated with wound infection treatment.

Graphene-Based Materials for Inhibition of Wound Infection and Accelerating Wound Healing

Bacterial infection of the wound could potentially cause serious complications and an enormous medical and financial cost to the rapid emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Nanomaterials are an emerging technology, that has been researched as possible antimicrobial nanomaterials for the inhibition of wound infection and enhancement of wound healing. Graphene is 2-dimensional (2D) sheet of sp² carbon atoms in a honeycomb structure. It has superior properties, strength, conductivity, antimicrobial, and molecular carrier abilities. Graphene and its derivatives, Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO), have antibacterial activity and could damage bacterial morphology and lead to the leakage of intracellular substances. Besides, for wound infection management, Graphene-platforms could be functionalized by different antibacterial agents such as metal-nanoparticles, natural compounds, and antibiotics. The Graphene structure can absorb near-infrared wavelengths, allowing it to be used as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. Therefore, Graphene-based material could be used to inhibit pathogens that cause serious skin infections and destroy their biofilm community, which is one of the biggest challenges in treating wound infection. Due to its agglomerated structure, GO hydrogel could entrap and stack the bacteria; thus, it prevents their initial attachment and biofilm formation. The sharp edges of GO could destroy the extracellular polymeric substance surrounding the biofilm and ruin the biofilm biomass structure. As well as, Chitosan and different natural and synthetic polymers such as collagen and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) also have attracted a great deal of attention for use with GO as wound dressing material. To this end, multi-functional polymers based on Graphene and blends of synthetic and natural polymers can be considered valid non-antibiotic compounds useful against wound infection and improvement of wound healing. Finally, the global wound care market size was valued at USD 20.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2022 to 2027 (USD 27.2 billion). This will encourage academic as well as pharmaceutical and medical device industries to investigate any new materials such as graphene and its derivatives for the treatment of wound healing.