An antibacterial hemostatic AuNPs@corn stalk/chitin composite sponge with shape recovery for promoting wound healing

The development of shape-memory sponge dressings with functions, such as hemostasis, antibacterial activity, and wound healing, is of great significance in clinical applications. Herein, a novel AuNPs@corn stalk/chitin composite sponge (CCAu) was fabricated by crosslinking the chitin matrix with corn stalk-embedded gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The addition of AuNPs@corn stalk gave the porous chitin sponge shape-recovery ability with improved softness, porosity, and water absorption. Correspondingly, the composite sponge showed better hemostatic effects than commercial PVF sponges. The photothermal effect of AuNPs endowed the composite sponge with excellent antibacterial activity. In addition, the wound treated with composite sponge containing antioxidant AuNPs exhibited a significantly faster wound healing rate (reaching 41.6 % on day 3) than the CH (33.2 %) and control (12.6 %) group through promoting cell migration, angiogenesis and collagen deposition. Therefore, the multifunctional composite sponge with great biocompatibility in this work provides a potential strategy for wound healing.