Biofunctional Design and Scalable Preparation of Phytolith-Based Nanocomposites for Biomedical Engineering

Natural inorganic nanomaterials, particularly silicon-based minerals, have gained attention as promising biofunctional carriers owing to their unique physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility. However, their practical application is often hindered by limited biofunctional integration and poor scalability. Herein, we developed a CeO₂-ZnO/phytolith nanocomposite via a strategy involving high-temperature pretreatment and controlled interfacial assembly. This nanocomposite synergistically combines hemostatic, antibacterial, and antioxidant functions: phytoliths rapidly absorb water to concentrate clotting factors; ZnO exhibits strong antibacterial activity, achieving >99.5% inhibition against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus; and CeO₂ effectively scavenges H₂O₂ through reversible Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ redox cycling. Moreover, a scalable synthesis route was established, enabling stable pilot-scale production of ∼370 g per batch with high reproducibility in the composition and performance. The resulting CeO₂-ZnO/phytolith-based hemostatic gauze demonstrates outstanding biocompatibility, ultrahigh fluid absorption capacity (1000%), and excellent in vivo hemostatic performance in a mouse liver injury model, comparable to commercial products. This work overcomes key challenges in biofunctional integration and process scalability of natural silicon-based minerals, offering an integrated development strategy from rational material design to biomedical application.