A novel self-healing triple physical cross-linked hydrogel for antibacterial dressing

The poor mechanical properties of wound dressings have always been a challenge in their application as wound protective barriers. In particular, when the hydrogel dressing absorbs the tissue fluid, the mechanical properties of the hydrogel will decrease greatly due to the swelling effect. In this study, an original antibacterial hydrogel dressing was prepared by a one-step process with acrylic acid, 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium, COOH-modified gum arabic, and aluminium chloride. The mechanical properties of this hydrogel were improved after water absorption due to hydrophobic interactions, so the hydrogel dressing could maintain good mechanical properties after absorption of the tissue fluid. Furthermore, 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium as an ionic liquid was introduced into the polymer backbone of hydrogels via covalent bonds and could promote the self-healing of hydrogels by facilitating the migration of aluminum ions with charge. The obtained hydrogels showed good self-healing properties, with a strain self-healing rate of 98.2% and a stress self-healing rate of 92.3%. In addition, this hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans. The results of the study on rat wound closure indicated that this hydrogel effectively accelerated the healing of a full-thickness skin defect. Therefore, this novel hydrogel has a broad application prospect in the field of wound dressing.