Honeycomb Injectable Antimicrobial Gelatin-Based Hydrogel with Enhanced Photothermal Effect via Photoinitiated Target-Forming

Antimicrobial hydrogels are widely used to assist wound antimicrobial treatment in trauma care. However, precisely controlling the effect of an injectable hydrogel at the target site remains a major challenge. In this study, we developed an injectable gelatin-based hydrogel that can be rapidly molded (within 10 s) under blue light irradiation. This biocompatible hydrogel exhibits excellent adhesive and mechanical properties. Furthermore, its honeycomb structure promotes the absorption of wound exudate, while the uniformly dispersed nanoparticles enhance the photothermal conversion efficiency. This feature enabled rapid sterilization within a short period (5 min). These findings underscore the hydrogel's clinical potential in protecting wounds from bacterial invasion and its promising applications in future medical treatments.