What are Xerogels?.
Researchers at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have developed a highly porous xerogel dressing designed to rapidly clot blood and provide relief from uncontrolled hemorrhage. ARI is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). This new dressing, which incorporates silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and calcium, shows a significant improvement in blood clotting efficiency compared to commercial dressings.
- Xerogels are solid materials formed by drying a gel, typically at ambient temperature, which removes the liquid from the gel, while preserving its porous network structure. Their high porosity and surface area make them suitable for various applications.
- The drying process typically involves evaporation under conditions that prevent the collapse of the gel’s porous network, resulting in a highly porous and often lightweight solid.
Key Features and Benefits of Xerogel Dressing
- Porous Structure: The xerogel dressing is characterized by its highly porous structure, with pores around 30 µm in size. This design enhances the dressing’s absorbance capacity, allowing it to quickly absorb blood and facilitate clotting.
- Enhanced Clotting Capacity:The addition of silica nanoparticles and calcium significantly boosts the clotting capacity of the xerogel. The composite material increases the blood clotting index by 13-fold compared to standard commercial dressings. Which make it a more effective option for controlling severe hemorrhage.
- Platelet Activation:The xerogel dressing promotes enhanced platelet aggregation by facilitating the development of well-formed pseudopodia in activated platelets, which are crucial for the clotting process.
- The dressing also stimulates calcium release and up regulation of the Protease-Activated Receptor 1 (PAR1) gene on platelet surfaces, further aiding in the rapid formation of blood clots.
Xerogel and Aerogel
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Point of differences
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Description
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Structure and Density
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1. Xerogels and aerogels are both highly porous materials, but they differ in how they are produced and their resulting properties.
2. Xerogels are denser and more solid structures created by drying a gel at ambient temperature. In contrast, aerogels are lightweight, formed by drying under supercritical conditions to maintain low density.
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Absorbance Capacity
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While aerogels are known for their lightweight and insulating properties, xerogels are optimized for absorbance. Which makes them particularly effective for applications like hemostatic dressings where rapid fluid absorption is critical.
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Impact on Trauma Care and Surgery
- The development of this xerogel dressing marks a significant advancement in trauma care, particularly in managing uncontrolled hemorrhage, which is a leading cause of traumatic deaths.
- The dressing’s ability to rapidly clot blood, enhance platelet aggregation, and upregulate critical genes involved in the clotting process makes it a potentially life-saving tool in both military and civilian medical scenarios.
- This innovative approach to hemostatic dressings offers a promising solution to reduce blood loss, disability, and mortality during surgeries and trauma care, addressing a critical need for improved hemostatic materials.
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