A robust poly(N-acryloyl-2-glycine)-based sponge for rapid hemostasis.

The development of a hemostatic sponge that can be used for treating both arterial hemorrhage and non-compressible bleeding remains a challenge. In this work, we propose the fabrication of a robust hemostatic sponge by a hydrogen bond strengthening and in situ bubble expanding strategy in thermo-initiation polymerization. A thickening agent, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), is incorporated into a hydrogen bonding N-acryloyl-2-glycine (ACG) monomer and an initiator, and vortexing generates air bubbles in the viscous liquid. Heating initiates fast polymerization, and meanwhile aids in expanding of bubbles, which results in the fixation of bubbles throughout the network, and the formation of porous hydrogels. Further lyophilization of the foaming hydrogels leads to the final generation of PACG/CMC sponges with robust compressive strengths due to the hydrogen bonding interactions of PACG. PACG/CMC sponges are shown to demonstrate a tunable liquid absorption ability, in vitro hemostatic ability, better hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. In a rat liver injury model and a femoral artery injury model, the PACG/CMC sponge can significantly reduce the bleeding time and blood loss compared with gauze and commercial gelatin sponge because of the high blood absorption ability and effective concentration of blood coagulation factors. This PACG sponge holds promising potential as a hemostatic agent applicable in an emergency.

A Fe3+-crosslinked pyrogallol-tethered gelatin adhesive hydrogel with antibacterial activity for wound healing.

In this work, a tunicate-inspired gelatin-based hydrogel is prepared by simply mixing 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde (THB)-tethered gelatin solution with a small amount of Fe3+ ions via the Schiff-base reaction and simultaneous formation of hexavalent Fe-complexes. The resulting hydrogel (termed GelTHB-Fe) exhibits not only tunable gelation time, rheological properties and self-healing ability by adjusting the composition, but also robust adhesion to a variety of materials, with an average adhesion strength of 136.7 kPa, 147.3 kPa, 153.7 kPa, 92.9 kPa, and 56.5 kPa to PMMA, iron, ceramics, glass and pigskin, respectively. Intriguingly, the pyrogallol moieties impart an antibacterial activity to the GelTHB-Fe hydrogel, which is shown to reduce infection and promote wound healing in a diabetic rat model. This GelTHB-Fe hydrogel holds great potential as a promising tissue adhesive.

Fabrication of strong hydrogen-bonding induced coacervate adhesive hydrogels with antibacterial and hemostatic activities.

In this work, a biocompatible poly(N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide) (PHEAA) polymer with hydrogen bonding acceptors and donors in its side chains is prepared and mixed with tannic acid (TA) to form a supramolecular coacervate hydrogel (TAHE) due to multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions between TA and PHEAA. The coacervate TAHE hydrogel exhibits not only self-healing and antibacterial properties, but also strong adhesion to various substrates, with average adhesion strengths of 722 kPa, 522 kPa, 484 kPa, and 322 kPa to the substrates of iron, PMMA, ceramics, and glass, respectively. Notably, the hydrogel reformed by the rehydration of freeze-dried and ground TAHE hydrogel powder retains the initial adhesive performance and exhibits an excellent hemostatic ability. This novel adhesive hydrogel holds great potential as an adhesive hemostatic material for self-rescue in emergency situations.

The MgB2-catalyzed growth of boron nitride nanotubes using B/MgO as a boron containing precursor.

With the development of preparation technology, obtaining boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is no longer difficult, but it is still not easy to balance the quality and purity of the obtained products using existing methods. In this work, we investigated a previously reported MgB2 catalyst to explore the synthesis of BNNTs at a higher temperature in a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system from a classic B/MgO precursor. Various characterization methods showed the high activity of MgB2 at 1400 °C and the superiority of the as-grown BNNTs in terms of purity and quality. Further reference experiments and element characterization measurements were also performed to verify the role of MgB2 in the growth of the BNNTs, finding that B/MgO/MgB2 is a simple and efficient precursor.

Water-Triggered Hyperbranched Polymer Universal Adhesives: From Strong Underwater Adhesion to Rapid Sealing Hemostasis.

Despite recent advance in bioinspired adhesives, achieving strong adhesion and sealing hemostasis in aqueous and blood environments is challenging. A hyperbranched polymer (HBP) with a hydrophobic backbone and hydrophilic adhesive catechol side branches is designed and synthesized based on Michael addition reaction of multi-vinyl monomers with dopamine. It is demonstrated that upon contacting water, the hydrophobic chains self-aggregate to form coacervates quickly, displacing water molecules on the adherent surface to trigger increased exposure of catechol groups and thus rapidly strong adhesion to diverse materials from low surface energy to high energy in various environments, such as deionized water, sea water, PBS, and a wide range of pH solutions (pH = 3 to 11) without use of any oxidant. Also, this HBP adhesive (HBPA) exhibits a robust adhesion to fractured bone, precluding the problem of mismatched surface energy and mechanical properties. The HBPA's adhesion is repeatable in a wet condition. Intriguingly, the HBPA is capable of gluing dissimilar materials with distinct properties. Importantly, introducing long alkylamine into this modular hyperbranched architecture contributes to formation of an injectable hemostatic sealant that can rapidly stop visceral bleeding, especially hemorrhage from deep wound.