Template-Assisted Magnetron Sputtering of Cotton Nonwovens for Wound Healing Application

Abstract

In the present study, three kinds of functional wound dressings (Zn@Cotton, Ag@Cotton, and Ag/Zn@Cotton) were developed by template-assisted magnetron sputtering of cotton nonwovens. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry revealed a very thin, uniform silver oxides and zinc coating on the cotton cellulose microfibers, which was further confirmed by X-ray diffraction pattern, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The physical characteristics such as high swelling ability, moderate air and water vapor permeabilities, good mechanical properties, and excellent flexibility support the suitability of magnetron sputtering cotton nonwovens for wound dressing applications. Moreover, the Ag/Zn@Cotton showed effective antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, which was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of electrical stimulation and continuous release of Ag+/Zn2+. Meanwhile, benefiting from the low metal coating area percentage (17.54%), the Ag/Zn@Cotton exhibited good cytocompatibility. The in vitro and in vivo test show that Ag/Zn@Cotton can remarkably accelerate the wound healing process, which can be attributed to the enhanced cellular migration by electrical stimulation, strong antibacterial activity, good cytocompatibility, and excellent physical properties. Potentially, template-assisted magnetron sputtering may provide a simple, green, and sustainable alternative for the development of functional wound dressings.

Conductive Biomaterials as Bioactive Wound Dressing for Wound Healing and Skin Tissue Engineering

“…Ag and Zn dots printed on polyester sheets or cotton nonwovens could work as bioelectronic wound dressings and have already proven significant effect on the improvement of human keratinocyte, cellular behavior activation, and wound healing by generating sustained microelectric potentials and restoring disrupted physiologic bioelectric signals on wound sites, while the voltage was depended on the size of the dots and the distances between metal dots [ 45 , 111 , 120 ].…”

“…Liu et al utilized template-assisted magnetron sputtering method to modify commercial spunlace cotton nonwovens with metal dots (Ag, Zn), as shown in Fig. 11 [ 120 ]. The low content of metals enabled the dressing with good cytocompatibility.…”

“…First, they can be applied as compliant electrodes for electrotherapy. In general, the conductive wound dressings can facilitate ES to be well and uniformly conducted onto the wounds promoting the efficacy of electrotherapy [ 50 , 109 , 120 , 225 , 226 ]. Second, they can be used alone as wound dressings or tissue engineering scaffolds, demonstrating similar conductivity to human skin and supporting cellular activities, to accelerate wound healing performance.…”

Effects of electrical stimulation on skin surface

“…Zhao et al [ 74 ] have manufactured bio-materials with high electrical conductivity, wrapped in nano-layers, and can be widely used in the fields of cardiac tissue engineering and flexible electronic devices. Liu et al [ 75 ] designed the electrostimulation wound dressing cloth by making non-proof cotton coated with silver oxide film and the zinc coating, which can significantly accelerate wound healing process, which has strong antibacterial ability and good cell compatibility. Studies have also show that intrinsically conducting polymers (CPs) show great advantages in promoting wound healing, can solve the problem of electrical stimulation applied to the skin, and can be combined with polymers.…”

“…Zhao et al [74] have manufactured bio-materials with high electrical conductivity, wrapped in nano-layers, and can be widely used in the fields of cardiac tissue engineering and flexible electronic devices. Liu et al [75] designed the electrostimulation Fig. 8 a Inflammatory phase after a cutaneous cut; hemostasis and invasion of inflammatory cells [53].…”