Freestanding membranes of hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks for efficient wound healing

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), with their excellent biocompatibility, diverse chemical functionalities, and well-organized porous structures, represent a versatile and promising platform for biomedical applications. However, manufacturing pristine HOFs powders into lightweight, ultrathin, freestanding membranes compatible with soft tissues of arbitrary shape and size has been a significant challenge. Herein, we successfully prepared shape-adaptive HOFs-based matrix membranes (HMMs) using a polymer-assisted liquid-air interface technique. These membranes are capable of conforming to tissues of different sizes and shapes, effectively stopping bleeding and exhibiting high water-vapor permeability. Remarkably, in vitro and in vivo studies in mice demonstrated that the tissue-conformable membranes accelerate wound healing by regulating the inflammatory environment of the damaged tissue and promoting faster re-epithelialization. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis and mechanistic studies revealed that HMMs effectively reduce inflammation and facilitate the transition from the proliferative stage to the remodeling stage of skin development. This work provides new insights into the use of multifunctional HOFs in healthcare management and paves the way for hybridizing HOFs with polymers for diverse applications.