Electro-assembly of β-chitin nanofibers to construct oriented cryogel for wound healing

The construction of natural polymeric nanocomponents with tunable hierarchical structure in a simple and controllable process remains a great challenge. Herein, an oriented β-chitin nanofiber hydrogel was fabricated by an electro-assembly process in water phase, during which the internal structure of the hydrogel was facilely tuned by the process parameters. The orientation of the β-chitin nanofibers hydrogel was influenced by the concentration of nanofibers and pH, and strengthened by increased current density and longer deposition time. Cryogels with extraordinary physical and biological properties were subsequently obtained by freeze drying. When used as wound dressing in cell and animal models, the oriented β-chitin nanofiber cryogels could significantly promote cell proliferation and accelerate wound healing, outperforming the healing effect of unoriented structure.