Preparation and characterization of unidirectional water conducting double-layer PVA/CS/ZnO-PLA/ZnO nanofiber membranes for wound healing

During the wound healing process, the surrounding tissue fluid plays a crucial role. However, excessive exudate can lead to wound infection and over-hydration, thereby delaying the healing process. Therefore, developing a novel wound dressing that can unidirectionally remove excess biological fluids and effectively inhibit bacterial infection is particularly important. This study successfully utilized electrospinning technology to prepare a nanofiber dual-layer membrane with unidirectional water transport functionality. Its inner layer consists of polylactic acid (PLA) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofibers, providing excellent hydrophobic and antibacterial properties. The outer layer is composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (CS), and nanoscale zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofibers, offering outstanding hydrophilicity and liquid absorption capability. Experimental results demonstrate that this nanofiber dual-layer membrane exhibits outstanding physical, chemical, and biological properties, with a mechanical strength of up to 6.4 Mpa and breathability 17.47 mm/s and antibacterial property is outstanding. In practical applications, this dressing can effectively expel excess biological fluids within just 5 s, preventing wound over-hydration and providing an innovative and feasible solution for the effective treatment of chronic wounds.