Next generation wound care technology capable of diagnosing wound parameters, promoting healthy cell growth and reducing pathogenic infections noninvasively would provide patients with an improved standard of care and an accelerated wound repair mechanism. Temperature is one of the indicating biomarkers specific to chronic wounds. This work reports a hybrid, multifunctional optical material platform -nanodiamond-silk membranes as bioinspired dressings capable of temperature sensing and wound healing. The hybrid structure was fabricated through electrospinning and formed 3D sub-micron fibrous membranes with high porosity. The silk fibres are capable of compensating for the lack of extracellular matrix at the wound site, supporting the wound healing process. The negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV -) color centres in nanodiamonds (NDs) exhibit optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) properties and act as fluorescent nanoscale thermometers, capable of sensing temperature variations associated to the presence of infection or inflammation in a wound, without physically removing the dressing. Our results show that the presence of NDs in the hybrid ND-silk membranes improve the thermal stability of silk fibres. The NVcolor centres in NDs embedded in silk fibres exhibit well-retained fluorescent and ODMR properties. Using the NVcentres as fluorescent nanoscale thermometers, we achieved temperature sensing at a range of temperatures, including the biologically relevant temperature window, on cellcultured ND-silk membranes. An enhancement in the temperature sensitivity of the NVcentres was observed for the hybrid materials. The hybrid membranes were further tested in vivo in a murine wound healing model and demonstrated biocompatibility and equivalent wound closure rates as the control wounds. Additionally, the hybrid ND-silk membranes showed selective antifouling and biocidal propensity toward Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, while no effect was observed on Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus.
Abstract-Textiles substrate coated with electrosprayed polymer droplets have a large specific surface area and sub micron range coating compared to commercial textiles, making them excellent candidates for use in medical and filtration applications. While the process of electrospraying is known for over half a century, current understanding of the process and the parameters that influence the properties of the polymer droplets produced from it is very limited. In this work, we have evaluated the influence of applied voltage on polymer droplet diameter. We find that applied voltage strongly affects the diameter of polymer droplet, and droplet diameter decreases with an increase in applied voltage.
The use of appropriate protective clothing systems in high-risk environments is absolutely essential. Such protective clothing may not provide the desired wearer comfort due to the complexities associated with the system. These constraints are largely due to the multiple layers involved in the protective ensemble. Firefighters’ protective clothing systems, in particular, have limited or no water vapor permeability. This prevents evaporative heat loss and leads to thermal strain and sweat accumulation. This accumulated sweat on the skin and on the internal layer close to the body causes considerable discomfort to the user due to the sensation of wetness. Extensive research has been done to improve the comfort properties of such protective clothing. This research adds yet another dimension where a new inner-layer construction has been developed with high liquid and vapor-absorption capacity that could assist in keeping the moisture and vapor away from the skin and, in addition, retain a dry microclimate close to the skin. The developed materials were tested for their biophysical properties that included tests such as thermal and water vapor resistance, air permeability and moisture management properties. Experimental results in this study indicated that super-absorbent materials, when incorporated into a woven textile material, showed enhanced wearer comfort. It was observed that these super-absorbent materials have the capability to quickly wick the moisture away from the body and, in doing so, have the tendency to keep the skin dry.
Electrospraying or electrohydrodynamic spraying is a technique of liquid atomisation by utilising electrical forces. In the electrospraying technique, the liquid at the outlet of a nozzle is subjected to an electrical shear stress by maintaining the nozzle at high electric potential. This produces a fine mist of extremely small and in some cases down to nanometer size droplets. The charge and size of the droplets can be controlled by adjusting the flow rate and voltage applied to the nozzle. Extending the scope of electrospraying, textile substrates can be coated with suitable polymer solution to enhance the surface functionalisation. This paper highlights the deposition of chitosan on wool subtrates using elctrospraying and its potential application in medical textiles.
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