Bioinspired Shear-Flow-Driven Layer-by-Layer in Situ Self-Assembly.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a key technique for nanoscale control of material properties.
• Traditional LbL methods are slow and labor-intensive, limiting clinical applications.
• A need exists for accelerated and simplified self-assembly processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid, shear-flow-driven LbL (SF-LbL) self-assembly method.
• To enhance macromolecule adsorption rates through mechanical polymer chain configuration.
• To demonstrate the versatility of SF-LbL for fabricating functional surfaces and wound dressings.

Main Methods:

• Bioinspired approach mimicking blood clotting.
• Utilized shear-flow to induce coil-stretch transitions in polymer chains.
• Applied SF-LbL for in situ corneal and skin modification, and wound dressing fabrication.

Main Results:

• SF-LbL significantly accelerated the assembly process compared to traditional LbL.
• Achieved improved structural characteristics and surface homogeneity of nanofilms.
• Successfully fabricated functional surfaces for corneal modification and drug-free wound dressings in vivo.
• Demonstrated in situ fabrication of chitosan and heparin layers on diabetic mouse skin.

Conclusions:

• SF-SF-LbL offers a simplified and accelerated approach to nanofilm fabrication.
• The method enables in situ surface modification for biomedical applications, including wound healing.
• This bioinspired self-assembly platform holds promise for diverse surface engineering applications.