Mxene-based wearable self-powered and photothermal triboelectric nanogenerator patches for wound healing acceleration and tactile sensing

Recently, wearable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) had attracted extensive attention for the application in wound healing acceleration. In this work, a single-electrode TENG skin patch (TESP) was prepared based on the conductive and photothermal hydrogel containing MXene and gelatin. MXene exhibited electrical conductivity and excellent photothermal conversion properties, while gelatin displayed phase transition capability and flexibility. TESP could collect biophysical energy, generate an electric field around the damaged tissues and combine with the near-infrared photothermal effect to promote wound healing. TESP could also serve as a real-time monitoring sensor of physiological signals. The peak-to-peak voltage and current outputs of the TESPs reached 163.7 V and 8.1 μA, respectively. TESP, with both photothermal heating and real-time electrical stimulation, accelerated cell migration of mouse fibroblasts in vitro. In the animal studies, TESP effectively promoted collagen deposition and angiogenesis, thus accelerating tissue regeneration and wound healing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-time report of the MXene-based TENG for wound healing acceleration. We believe that this work not only provides self-powered wearable electronics a novel path for the treatment of wounds, but also shed light on their applications as advanced sensing systems.