A Wireless Hydrogel Thermotherapy System with Adhesion-Customizable Interfaces for Accelerating Wound Healing.

Abstract

Thermotherapy has demonstrated considerable potential in accelerating wound healing by promoting cellular repair and blood circulation. However, existing systems demonstrate nonadjustable adhesion, poor thermal uniformity, etc., substantially hindering widespread applications. Here, a wireless thermotherapy system with adhesion-customizable hydrogel interfaces is developed for accelerating wound healing. The hydrogel layer exhibits ultra-low modulus (0.29 kPa) and superior adhesion (15.58 kPa) with wide-range regulation capability (>8-folds). Flexible heating layers with anisotropic serpentine-mesh structures are further prepared, demonstrating high transparency (87.73%) and low resistance (3.83 Ω) for uniform heating. By integrating hydrogel patches with wireless circuits, a hydrogel thermotherapy system is fabricated for high-precision closed-loop temperature control (accuracy: ±0.1 °C). Animal experiments show that this system enables strong adhesion for rapid wound positioning during thermotherapy, maintaining gentle adhesion for conformal contact to avoid wound stress concentration and ensure uniform heating, while realizing low adhesion for benign post-therapy disassembly without wound damage. The wound healing rates reach 99.58% on day 14, which is 15% higher than that in the control group, along with a ≈4-day reduction in healing time. Histopathological analysis further validates the effectiveness of this system in accelerating wound healing. The wireless hydrogel thermotherapy system represents a promising platform for wound management.