Anisotropic swelling wound dressings with vertically aligned water absorptive particles.

A multi-layer solution casting method was utilized to fabricate a three-layer wound dressing film consisting of a wound contact layer, an absorbing layer and a backing layer. The absorbing layer, whose function is to absorb and retain the exudate thus providing a moist environment for wound healing, was made of superabsorbent particles and a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix. In this study, the superabsorbent particles were aligned into chains whose axes oriented along the thickness direction of the film by an external electric field. This structure could minimize the lateral swelling of the absorbing layer while preferentially expanding in the thickness direction during the water absorption process, and therefore eliminate the lateral stress or shear induced friction between the films and the wound. When compared to the wound dressing films with non-aligned particles, the films with aligned particles could achieve up to 33% smaller lateral expansion. The effect of particle shape on anisotropic swelling was also investigated, and the rod-like particles with higher aspect ratio were more effective at improving the anisotropic swelling and reducing lateral expansion compared to irregular-shaped particles. Additionally, the imprinted patterns on the contact layer resulting from the electric field alignment process promoted the efficiency of absorbing and transporting the exudate into the absorbing layer.

Indium Fluoroalkoxide Compounds.

Reactions of indium amide complexes with fluorinated alcohols give indium fluoroalkoxide complexes. In[N-t-Bu(SiMe(3))](3) reacts with 3 equiv of (CF(3))Me(2)COH to give the homoleptic alkoxide dimer [In{&mgr;-OCMe(2)(CF(3))}{OCMe(2)(CF(3))}(2)](2), but reactions involving the more acidic alcohols (CF(3))(2)MeCOH and (CF(3))(2)CHOH yield products containing t-BuNH(2), which is derived from the amide ligands. Thus, In[N-t-Bu(SiMe(3))](3) reacts with (CF(3))(2)MeCOH to give In[OCMe(CF(3))(2)](3)(H(2)N-t-Bu) and with (CF(3))(2)CHOH to yield In[OCH(CF(3))(2)](3)(H(2)N-t-Bu)(3) and [H(3)N-t-Bu][In{OCH(CF(3))(2)}(4)(H(2)N-t-Bu)]. Reactions of (CF(3))(2)MeCOH and (CF(3))(2)CHOH with In(tmp)(3) (tmp = the anion derived from 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine) and In(NEt(2))(3) are less complicated. In(tmp)(3) reacts with 3 equiv of (CF(3))(2)CHOH to give In[OCH(CF(3))(2)](3)(Htmp) and with 4 equiv of (CF(3))(2)CHOH or (CF(3))(2)MeCOH to yield the salt compounds [H(2)tmp][In{OCR(CF(3))(2)}(4)] (R = H, Me). Trigonal bipyramidal [H(2)NEt(2)][In{OCH(CF(3))(2)}(4)(HNEt(2))] and octahedral mer-In[OCMe(CF(3))(2)](3)(py)(3) are isolated from reactions involving In(NEt(2))(3). Crystal structure determinations of [In{&mgr;-OCMe(2)(CF(3))}{OCMe(2)(CF(3))}(2)](2), [H(3)N-t-Bu][In{OCH(CF(3))(2)}(4)(H(2)N-t-Bu)].EtOEt, In[OCH(CF(3))(2)](3)(Htmp), [H(2)tmp][In{OCMe(CF(3))(2)}(4)], In[OCMe(CF(3))(2)](3)(py)(3), and [H(2)NEt(2)][In{OCH(CF(3))(2)}(4)(HNEt(2))] were carried out.