Porous hydrogel-induced self-powered gas-solid triboelectric dressing for promoting wound healing

Abstract

Exogenous electrical stimulation (ES) can significantly enhance the wound healing acceleration. However, most power-generating devices and materials are limited due to structural complexity, external power dependence, and low bio-safety. Here, we design and synthesize a porous hydrogel with gas-solid contact-separation triboelectricity (GSHL). It exhibits excellent physicochemical properties and bio-safety. Also, its inner pores provide a gas-solid interface, which generates a stable self-powered triboelectric potential difference due to the deformation of the interior pores when pressed by the motion of hosts. This exogenous triboelectric stimulation can enhance the proliferation, migration, and adhesion of keratinocytes. In vivo experiments show that GSHL can generate ES at wound bed in situ through the movements of rats, accelerate re-epithelization, and enhance collagen deposition, thereby enhancing the healing of skin wounds. Compared to traditional methods that depending on an external power source to achieve ES for wound healing, this study introduces a novel triboelectric method that is self-powered solely through the intrinsic movement of the organism without any external electrical input.