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Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Fabrication and Characterization of a Conformal Skin-like Electronic System for Quantitative, Cutaneous Wound Management
Published on: September 2, 2015
Flexible patch with printable and antibacterial conductive hydrogel electrodes for accelerated wound healing
Canran Wang1, Xing Jiang2, Han-Jun Kim3
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA; Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
Abstract:
Electrical stimulation can facilitate wound healing with high efficiency and limited side effects. However, current electrical stimulation devices have poor conformability with wounds due to their bulky nature and the rigidity of electrodes utilized. Here, a flexible electrical patch (ePatch) made with conductive hydrogel as electrodes to improve wound management was reported. The conductive hydrogel was synthesized using silver nanowire (AgNW) and methacrylated alginate (MAA), with the former chosen as the electrode material considering its antibacterial properties, and the latter used due to its clinical suitability in wound healing. The composition of the hydrogel was optimized to enable printing on medical-grade patches for personalized wound treatment. The ePatch was shown to promote re-epithelization, enhance angiogenesis, mediate immune response, and prevent infection development in the wound microenvironment. In vitro studies indicated an elevated secretion of growth factors with enhanced cell proliferation and migration ability in response to electrical stimulation. An in vivo study in the Sprague-Dawley rat model revealed a rapid wound closure within 7 days compared to 20 days of usual healing process in rodents.
