Anisotropic swelling wound dressings with vertically aligned water absorptive particles.

A multi-layer solution casting method was utilized to fabricate a three-layer wound dressing film consisting of a wound contact layer, an absorbing layer and a backing layer. The absorbing layer, whose function is to absorb and retain the exudate thus providing a moist environment for wound healing, was made of superabsorbent particles and a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix. In this study, the superabsorbent particles were aligned into chains whose axes oriented along the thickness direction of the film by an external electric field.

PLLA microalloys versus PLLA nanoalloys: preparation, morphologies, and properties.

Nanostructured polymer blends have attracted significant attention recently. In this paper, the poly(lactic acid) (PLLA)/ethylene-co-acrylic ester-co-glycidyl methacrylate (E-AE-GMA) rubber (80/20) nanoalloys and microalloys were fabricated by melt blending and the structure-property relationships of the prepared alloys were investigated. In the nanoalloys, the rubber domains are homogeneously dispersed in the PLLA matrix with the overall domain size of <100 nm.