NIR-responsive Janus dressing with unidirectional exudate drainage and real-time pH monitoring to accelerate infected wound healing

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2025.12.058

Abstract

Abstract: The healing of wounds is often impeded by exudate accumulation, bacterial infection, poor vascularization, and persistent inflammation. However, existing wound dressings demonstrate limited efficacy and potential safety risks due to their structural or functional simplicity. In this study, a multifunctional Janus dressing (PP-AgZnB) was developed by a one-pot electrospinning method. This asymmetric bilayer structure enabled effective unidirectional drainage of exudate. Additionally, the dressing exhibits pH-responsive color-changing properties, enabling it to transition from green to yellow in response to the pH decrease in the wound area triggered by bacterial proliferation, which provides a visual early warning for wound infection. Subsequently, by incorporating computer vision-assisted recognition, accurate identification of pH was achieved with an accuracy rate of up to 92.9 %, precisely indicating the optimal timing for near-infrared (NIR) antibacterial intervention. Under 808 nm NIR irradiation, the dressing exhibited a photothermal conversion efficiency of 35.6 % and achieved > 99.2 % antibacterial rate through synergistic Ag⁺/Zn²⁺ release, significantly accelerating healing to 99.6 % wound closure within 11 days. Compared to commercial 3 M Tegaderm, it enhanced collagen deposition by 120.78 %. This integrated design combines exudate management, real-time pH monitoring, on-demand NIR antibacterial action, and bioactive healing to deliver a diagnosis-treatment integrated solution for bacterially infected wounds. © 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Key words: Wound dressing, Unidirectional water transport, Antibacterial activity, Near-infrared responsive, pH-responsive visual monitoring

Yuhan Zhang, Zhuokai Zhang, Xiaodan Jiang, Hao Sun, Junzi Han, Hongjing Wu, Yun Tang, Xianglong Wu, Qiang Chen. NIR-responsive Janus dressing with unidirectional exudate drainage and real-time pH monitoring to accelerate infected wound healing[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2026, 270: 174-186.

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