Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, along with collaborators from City University of Hong Kong, Jiangnan University, and Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, announced on June 15 the development of a new bionic wound dressing designed to improve healing outcomes for infected wounds. Led by Professors Xungai Wang, Shuo Shi, Huiqun Zhou, and Yang Ming, the team presented a material that aims to address limitations found in conventional wound dressings by integrating protective function, comfort, and antibacterial activity.
The newly developed dressing utilizes a hierarchical Janus nanofiber structure combined with visible light-responsive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). This combination allows for passive thermal management, on-demand antibacterial action under visible light exposure, and mechanical compatibility similar to human skin. According to the researchers, solvent welding technology is used in conjunction with Fe-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (Fe-ZIF8) to create strong bonding points between electrospun PVDF nanofibers. This results in tensile strength of approximately 21.6 MPa and failure strain near 54 percent—values closely matching those of natural skin.
The Janus architecture features a hydrophobic outer layer that reflects sunlight while transmitting mid-infrared radiation for cooling purposes. The hydrophilic inner layer wicks moisture away from the wound site and anchors Fe20-ZIF8 nanoparticles responsible for antibacterial properties. Laboratory tests show that doping ZIF8 with iron narrows its bandgap significantly and enables absorption of visible light above 420 nm wavelength. When illuminated by white light during testing against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, the dressing achieved an antibacterial efficacy rate of 97.1 percent—comparable to antibiotic-treated controls—while maintaining biocompatibility over five days.
In animal studies using rat models under outdoor conditions with solar irradiance between 115–195 W/m², wounds treated with this bionic skin cooled by an average of 1.7°C compared to non-Janus dressings. Treated wounds showed near-complete closure within eleven days at more than double the healing rate observed in untreated or pure PVDF groups.
Genetic analysis revealed upregulation of angiogenesis markers such as Vcam1 and Vegfd; cell migration genes like Cemip; antimicrobial peptides including Cathelicidin; alongside downregulation of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α. Enrichment analyses indicated activation of signaling pathways involved in pro-angiogenesis and anti-inflammation processes, while histological assessment showed uniform collagen deposition (34 percent) and increased epidermal thickness compared to normal skin.
