From wood particles to advanced wound dressings

Starting from raw wood particles such as saw-dust and applying TEMPO-oxidation followed by microfluidization offers a straightforward route for production of wood nanofibrils. These nanofibrils can self-assemble into networks with good wet tensile strength, high water absorption capacity and are transparent, which are important properties for dressings that can facilitate healing of chronic wounds. The aim of this work is to show the concept from raw material to application including processing and main characteristics such as structure, performance and cytocompatibility with skin cells. By using this concept, we show a cost and resource efficient way to produce advanced wound dressings alternative to bacterial cellulose that are currently used in clinical applications.