Citation: Zhenyu Liu, Hizbullah Malik, Muhammad Bilal Khan Niazi, Umer Shahzad Malik, Zaib Jahan, Muhammad Salman Haider, Suhaib Umer Ilyas, Rayed S. Alshareef, Honghao Hou, Dong Yang. g-C₃N₄/ZnO nano-reinforced polysulfonate-PVA dual-network hydrogels for enhanced antibacterial ability and breathable wound healing[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(6): 111494. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111494 shu

g-C₃N₄/ZnO nano-reinforced polysulfonate-PVA dual-network hydrogels for enhanced antibacterial ability and breathable wound healing

a.
Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
b.
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction and Detection in Tissue Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
c.
Department of Chemical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
d.
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining and Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
e.
Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
f.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
g.
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 23890, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
h.
Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Taibah University Yanbu Al Bahr, 41911, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

muhammad.niazi@kfupm.edu.sa

ss.hhh89@hotmail.com

wsyangdong@gmail.com

Received Date: 13 March 2025
Revised Date: 17 June 2025
Accepted Date: 18 June 2025
Available Online: 18 June 2025

Figures(5)

Wound healing remains a significant challenge in medical science due to the complexity of the process. Hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for wound management, yet achieving non-cytotoxicity, biodegradability, and mechanical robustness in a single formulation continues to be a research focus. This study aims to develop polysulfonate-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPs) membranes reinforced with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and g-C₃N₄ to meet these requirements. The fabricated membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and were subjected to various biological evaluations including swelling ratios, water vapor transmission rates (WVTR), antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, and in-vivo wound healing in a mouse model. The membranes exhibited mechanical strengths of 42.6 MPa and strains up to 183.35%. XRD and FTIR confirmed the successful incorporation of ZnO NPs and g-C₃N₄, while SEM and AFM revealed a rough surface morphology conducive to cell adhesion. The membranes achieved moisture retention rates over 90%, WVTR values up to 71.66 h g⁻¹ m⁻², and swelling ratios as high as 116.06%. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated cellular viability exceeding 84.37%, and antibacterial assays showed significant inhibition zones. In vivo studies indicated an 88.26% wound healing rate within 9 days, surpassing traditional dressings and saline treatments. These results suggest that PAMPs/PVA/g-C₃N₄/ZnO membranes are found to be highly effective for wound dressing applications, combining superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and enhanced healing efficacy.
- Wound healing,
- ZnO NPs,
- Membrane,
- Antibacterial activity,
- Breathability
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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

g-C3N4/ZnO nano-reinforced polysulfonate-PVA dual-network hydrogels for enhanced antibacterial ability and breathable wound healing

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

g-C₃N₄/ZnO nano-reinforced polysulfonate-PVA dual-network hydrogels for enhanced antibacterial ability and breathable wound healing