Endogenous Electric Fields: A Natural Driver for Infrared-Activated Transparent Electronic Skin in Wound Healing.

Wang, Futing; Deng, Suping; Liu, Linxuan; Zhang, Ningbo; Song, Changxiao; Zhou, Yutang; Fu, Xiaofei; Jiang, Yuting et al. · Nano Lett · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

A flexible, self-powered, and transparent electronic skin (e-skin) is constructed by combining endogenous electric field modulation and infrared thermal stimulation to accelerate wound healing. The e-skin comprises (1) a transparent conductive layer for real-time wound monitoring, fabricated by thermal deposition of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-functionalized carbon nanotubes (C-MWCNTs) with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS); (2) a photothermal interface using Pd@Au nanoframes for infrared therapy; and (3) self-powered electric fields mimicking bioelectric signals. Antibacterial assays of the e-skin showed >160% bacterial suppression at the peak output of 0.25-0.59 V and 90-140% suppression at the baseline output of 0.05-0.12 V. In vitro tests demonstrated 90% <i>E. coli</i> elimination within 10 min. In vivo studies on rabbits revealed a 50% reduction in healing time (7 days) via synergistic photothermal-electrical therapy. This e-skin offers a promising approach to advanced wound care.

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