Microwave-responsive thermoelectric microneedles for efficient biofilm eradication and sustained repair of infected wounds
- 1Department of Orthopaedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022 China
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022 China
- 3Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, 610500 China
Abstract
Infected wounds present a high clinical incidence, and current treatments are inadequate in both effectively eliminating bacterial biofilms and continuously promoting tissue regeneration. To address these challenges, we develop a microwave-responsive thermoelectric nanocomposite of zinc oxide-bismuth telluride (ZnO-Bi2Te3) via hydrothermal synthesis for the treatment of biofilm infected wounds. The heterointerface within the nanocomposite enhances phonon scattering, while the ZnO component provides additional charge carrier transport pathways, collectively significantly improving the thermoelectric conversion performance. Under microwave irradiation, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 rapidly generates substantial amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling efficient penetration and eradication of biofilms with an antibacterial rate of 99.2%. After irradiation ceases, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 utilizes the wound-environment temperature difference to continuously produce thermoelectric signals. The continuous thermoelectric signals, in synergy with the release of zinc ions, activate the MAPK pathway and promote protein synthesis, processing, and transport, thereby enhancing cell migration, differentiation, and angiogenesis, leading to continuous tissue regeneration. In a mouse model of MRSA-biofilm infected wounds, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 loaded microneedles effectively clear the infection and accelerate healing. This study develops a microwave-responsive thermoelectric system for infected wounds through efficient biofilm clearance and sustained pro-regeneration.
Graphical Abstract:
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026microwaveresponsive,
title = {{Microwave-responsive thermoelectric microneedles for efficient biofilm eradication and sustained repair of infected wounds}},
author = {Shihao Zhang and Jie Lei and Xin Liu and Zixuan Ou and Bide Tong and Huaizhen Liang and Di Wu and Zhengdong Zhang and Junyu Wei and Hongchuan Wang and Hanpeng Xu and Shuchang Peng and Yifan Qian and Zhiquan Chen and Yuyuan Jia and Lei Tan and Lin Xie and Cao Yang and Xiaobo Feng},
journal = {Journal of Nanobiotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microwave-responsive thermoelectric microneedles for efficient biofilm eradication and sustained repair of infected wounds
AU - Shihao Zhang
AU - Jie Lei
AU - Xin Liu
AU - Zixuan Ou
AU - Bide Tong
AU - Huaizhen Liang
AU - Di Wu
AU - Zhengdong Zhang
AU - Junyu Wei
AU - Hongchuan Wang
AU - Hanpeng Xu
AU - Shuchang Peng
AU - Yifan Qian
AU - Zhiquan Chen
AU - Yuyuan Jia
AU - Lei Tan
AU - Lin Xie
AU - Cao Yang
AU - Xiaobo Feng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/31
JO - Journal of Nanobiotechnology
DO - 10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5
AB - Infected wounds present a high clinical incidence, and current treatments are inadequate in both effectively eliminating bacterial biofilms and continuously promoting tissue regeneration. To address these challenges, we develop a microwave-responsive thermoelectric nanocomposite of zinc oxide-bismuth telluride (ZnO-Bi2Te3) via hydrothermal synthesis for the treatment of biofilm infected wounds. The heterointerface within the nanocomposite enhances phonon scattering, while the ZnO component provides additional charge carrier transport pathways, collectively significantly improving the thermoelectric conversion performance. Under microwave irradiation, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 rapidly generates substantial amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling efficient penetration and eradication of biofilms with an antibacterial rate of 99.2%. After irradiation ceases, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 utilizes the wound-environment temperature difference to continuously produce thermoelectric signals. The continuous thermoelectric signals, in synergy with the release of zinc ions, activate the MAPK pathway and promote protein synthesis, processing, and transport, thereby enhancing cell migration, differentiation, and angiogenesis, leading to continuous tissue regeneration. In a mouse model of MRSA-biofilm infected wounds, the ZnO-Bi2Te3 loaded microneedles effectively clear the infection and accelerate healing. This study develops a microwave-responsive thermoelectric system for infected wounds through efficient biofilm clearance and sustained pro-regeneration. Graphical Abstract: Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12951-026-04858-5.
SN - 1477-3155
ER -