Shape-adapted self-gelation hydrogel powder for high-performance hemostasis and wound healing

In the battlefield, accidents, first aid, and hospital environments, uncontrollable bleeding caused by severe wound infections pose a serious risk of death and high costs. However, performing ultrafast hemostasis without any external conditions remains challenging. In this paper, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, tea polyphenols, and Yunnan Baiyao (PAA/PAAm/T/YNBY, PPTY) are used to prepare self-gelling powder with shape adaptability. When the mass fraction of PAA and PAAm is 10 wt% and 8 wt%, the hydrogel can form the most intermolecular hydrogen bonds, exhibiting the best adhesion ability and mechanical strength. When the amount of YNBY was 0.1 wt%, the hydrogel had the most suitable cellular compatibility and hemostatic ability. At this time, the hydrogel powder can achieve the fastest self-gelling (< 3 s), the strongest adhesion (interface adhesion > 499.4 N m − 1), and the fastest hemostatic speed (< 30 s). With the addition of a small amount of YNBY (0.1 wt%), the hemostatic efficiency of the hydrogel can be greatly improved. The combination of hydrogel and YNBY not only prolongs the duration of YNBY ingredient efficacy but also enhances its biocompatibility. This easy-to-use but effective hydrogel can stop bleeding, promote wound healing in emergencies, and has opportunities in functional materials, tissue engineering, biomedical engineering, and clinical medicine.