Janus Nanofiber Membranes with Photothermal‐Enhanced Biofluid Drainage and Sterilization for Diabetic Wounds

Abstract

AbstractDiabetic wounds are difficult to heal, and the key to wound healing is exudate management and effective disinfection. Inspired by the asymmetric wettability of Janus‐structured lotus leaves, herein the study has presented the design of a biomimetic asymmetric Janus membrane that integrates unidirectional biofluid drainage and photothermal‐enhanced evaporation/sterilization capabilities for accelerating diabetic wound healing. This Janus membrane is prepared by electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane containing polydopamine (PDA) on the surface of polypropylene (PP) nonwoven membrane. Such PP/PANx%PDA Janus membrane enables antigravity “pumping” of the water from the hydrophobic PP layer to the hydrophilic PANx%PDA layer within 22 s through contact points on the Janus interface. The incorporation of 30 wt% PDA in PAN imparts high photoabsorption and photothermal responsiveness, facilitating continuous volatilization of the exudate, achieving twice the displacement of water, and causing irreversible damage to bacteria. As a result, it effectively alleviates inflammation and cellular fibrosis while promoting collagen deposition due to its structure and antibacterial properties. Impressively, such photothermal‐enhanced Janus membrane achieves an impressive closure rate of 96.7% for diabetic wounds, better than that of (59.8%) for conventional bandages. Therefore, this asymmetric Janus membrane offers a promising alternative for the healing of chronic diabetic wounds.