Burn injury has become a crucial
public health issue worldwide.
It is necessary to explore new methods to reduce heat damage and improve
healing efficiency during burn injury treatment. In this study, a
kind of hydrogel combining heat storage capacity and thermal conductivity
was fabricated via a one-pot method for burn therapy. The novel hydrogel
was easily prepared by in situ cross-linking polymerization,
using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivatives, oligo(ethylene glycol)
methacrylate and 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate, as thermally
responsive base materials and hydroxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes
(CNT-OH) as thermally conductive fillers. By dispersing CNT-OH, a
thermally conductive network was formed in the hydrogel, leading to
an increase in the thermal conductivity. The cooling performance,
thermal conductivity, heat storage property, swelling performance,
rheological and mechanical properties, biocompatibility, in
vivo cooling effect, and wound healing properties of the
prepared hydrogel were systematically investigated. The hydrogel consisted
of thermally responsive PEG derivatives, and CNT-OH performed a function
of rapid heat absorption, further reduced thermal damage, and promoted
wound healing. The improved cooling performance of the hydrogel was
ascribed to the improved thermal conductivity, enhanced heat storage
capacity, and good adhesive ability. Thus, the hydrogel has great
potential to be practically applied in burn therapy, laser treatment,
cooling fabrics, heat-protective clothing, and other emergency scenarios.