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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Polymers

Biobased Polymer Composites for Sensor-Integrated Wound Dressings: Structural Roles, Sensing Interfaces and Validation Challenges

  • Jia-Ling Zhu1
  • Yuexiang Yang2
  • Yunfei Mo3
  • Chih-Hao Chen4
  • Eric Hald5
  • Chia-Lin Sheu3
5 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Dermatology, Dongguan Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan 523000, China
  2. 2School of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
  3. 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
  4. 4Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung & Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
  5. 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Abstract

Sensor-integrated wound dressings place optical, electrochemical, biochemical, or wireless sensing modules within materials that are simultaneously responsible for wound contact and fluid management. In this setting, biobased polymers influence hydration, swelling, capillary transport, wet-state mechanics, retention of functional phases, and the local environment presented to the sensor. This review examines how chitosan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, cellulose, nanocellulose, bacterial cellulose, gelatin, collagen, and silk fibroin function as wound-contact layers, absorbent reservoirs, capillary supports, transition domains, and hosts for sensing components. Auxiliary phases, including PVA, PEDOT:PSS, carbon nanomaterials, MXenes, metal nanoparticles, responsive dyes, enzymes, and antibody-based recognition elements, are considered according to the conductivity, optical response, catalytic activity, antimicrobial function, or molecular selectivity they introduce into these matrices. Across the reviewed studies, signal reliability varied with exudate handling, sensing-zone exposure, fouling, wet-state stability, and the spatial organization of functional modules. We use these relationships to examine how material architecture stabilizes the sensing interface and to interpret validation in the wound-monitoring conditions under which each readout was tested.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhu2026biobased,
  title = {{Biobased Polymer Composites for Sensor-Integrated Wound Dressings: Structural Roles, Sensing Interfaces and Validation Challenges}},
  author = {Jia-Ling Zhu and Yuexiang Yang and Yunfei Mo and Chih-Hao Chen and Eric Hald and Chia-Lin Sheu},
  journal = {Polymers},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/polym18212607},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2607},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Biobased Polymer Composites for Sensor-Integrated Wound Dressings: Structural Roles, Sensing Interfaces and Validation Challenges
AU  - Jia-Ling Zhu
AU  - Yuexiang Yang
AU  - Yunfei Mo
AU  - Chih-Hao Chen
AU  - Eric Hald
AU  - Chia-Lin Sheu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - Polymers
DO  - 10.3390/polym18212607
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2607
AB  - Sensor-integrated wound dressings place optical, electrochemical, biochemical, or wireless sensing modules within materials that are simultaneously responsible for wound contact and fluid management. In this setting, biobased polymers influence hydration, swelling, capillary transport, wet-state mechanics, retention of functional phases, and the local environment presented to the sensor. This review examines how chitosan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, cellulose, nanocellulose, bacterial cellulose, gelatin, collagen, and silk fibroin function as wound-contact layers, absorbent reservoirs, capillary supports, transition domains, and hosts for sensing components. Auxiliary phases, including PVA, PEDOT:PSS, carbon nanomaterials, MXenes, metal nanoparticles, responsive dyes, enzymes, and antibody-based recognition elements, are considered according to the conductivity, optical response, catalytic activity, antimicrobial function, or molecular selectivity they introduce into these matrices. Across the reviewed studies, signal reliability varied with exudate handling, sensing-zone exposure, fouling, wet-state stability, and the spatial organization of functional modules. We use these relationships to examine how material architecture stabilizes the sensing interface and to interpret validation in the wound-monitoring conditions under which each readout was tested.
SN  - 2073-4360
ER  -