Chitosan-Based Photothermal Hydrogel with Rapid Bacterial Capture for Enhanced Disinfection

Constructing a novel antibacterial platform is of great significance for inhibiting bacterial infections. In this work, we developed a composite hydrogel (CS/PPy/PDA hydrogel) by incorporating photothermal material polypyrrole (PPy), chitosan (CS) and polydopamine (PDA) into poly acrylamide (PAAM) hydrogel network. First, CS/PPy/PDA hydrogel could capture bacteria through strong electrostatic interactions, enhancing the contact between hydrogels and bacteria. Afterwards, CS exhibit partial bactericidal activity. Meanwhile, the photothermal effect of CS/PPy/PDA hydrogel under NIR laser irradiation further eradicated the remaining bacteria. Through the synergistic effect between CS and photothermal ability of PPy, the hydrogel showed excellent antibacterial efficacy against E. coli and S. aureus. This work revealed that the CS/PPy/PDA hydrogel held great potential as an antibacterial wound dressing for the therapy of bacteria-infected wounds.