Mucosa‐Like Conformal Hydrogel Coating for Aqueous Lubrication

Abstract

Mucosa is a protective and lubricating barrier in biological tissue, which has a great clinical inspiration because of its slippery, soft, and hydrophilic surface. However, mimicking mucosal traits on complex surface remains an enormous challenge. Herein, a novel approach to create mucosa‐like conformal hydrogel coating is developed. A thin conformal hydrogel layer mimicking the epithelial layer is obtained by first absorbing micelles, followed by forming covalent interlinks with the polymer substrate via interface‐initiated hydrogel polymerization. The resulting coating exhibits uniform thickness (≈15 µm), mucosa‐matched compliance (Young's modulus = 1.1 ± 0.1 kPa) and lubrication (coefficients of friction = 0.018 ± 0.003), robust interfacial bonding against peeling (peeling strength = 1218.0 ± 187.9 J m–2), as well as high water absorption capacity. It effectively resists adhesion of proteins and bacteria without compromising biocompatibility. As demonstrated by an in vivo cynomolgus monkey model and clinical trial, applications of the mucosa‐like conformal hydrogel coating on the endotracheal tube significantly reduce intubation‐related complications, such as invasive stimuli, mucosal lesions, laryngeal edema, inflammation, and postoperative pain. This work offers a promising prototype for surface decoration of biomedical devices and holds great prospects for clinical translation to enable interventional operations with minimally invasive impacts.

Smart Internal Bio‐Glues

“…These results showed that the tissue adhesion of Glue 3 after NIR light irradiation was stronger than that of Glue 1, which was because that UCNPs within the glues could efficiently convert NIR light into UV light as an internally secondary light source to induce the imine crosslinking reaction on tissue interface. Compared to previous tissue adhesives, [22,[49][50][51] the bio-glues developed in the current study could work well for the adhesion strength and wound healing in small animals (i.e., rats, rabbits) and even larger animals (i.e., pigs, dogs, monkeys). Finally, the wet adhesion properties of the glues to bind skin tissue were further investigated.…”

Recent advances in electronic skins: material progress and applications

“…The dynamic behaviors enabled the tissue-like properties of programmability, anisotropy, and trainability. Bai et al (2022) developed a mucosa-like conformal hydrogel coating. By first absorbing micelles, then forming covalent interlinks with polymer substrate through interface-initiated hydrogel polymerization, a thin hydrogel layer similar to the epithelial layer was achieved.…”

Risk Assessment and Regulatory Exploration of the Lubrication Coating on Intravascular Medical Devices

“…There is less advancement in the lubrication coating on intravascular medical devices, but some new technology about lubrication coating emerged recently ( 22 ). A novel approach to create mucosa-like conformal hydrogel coating was developed.…”