A biocompatible crystal base for wound healing with electric fields

Electric field (EF) therapies are a promising novel technology for wound healing and have been proven to speed up recovery. Usually, these require bulky power sources, which can limit portability and continuous treatment.

Mondal et al. developed a biocompatible nanogenerator, powered by piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs), that can provide EF-wound healing without external batteries.

EF-stimulated wound healing takes advantage of the natural migration of cells in the presence of electric fields. By guiding key skin-healing cells like fibroblasts and keratinocytes to the wound, the method promotes the regrowth of skin. This technique has been shown to heal wounds more quickly than the body’s natural healing process.

“PENGs convert mechanical stimuli into localized pulsed electric fields that restore the disrupted transepithelial potential at the wound site,” said author Neeraj Khare.

The researchers used DL-alanine crystals as a base for their PENG device due to their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity.

“Their lower stiffness — compared to ceramic piezoelectric materials — further enables seamless integration into flexible wound dressings,” Khare said.

Testing their PENG devices on cell cultures, the researchers found that without direct contact via electrodes, the device was able to direct cellular movement; this resulted in accelerated wound closure.

The team’s objective is to use their findings to eventually create independent devices that can deliver controlled electrical stimulation for wound healing and other regenerative applications.

“These results demonstrate the potential of DL-alanine-based PENGs as self-powered, biocompatible, and sustainable therapeutic dressings for chronic wound treatment,” Khare said. “In future research work, we will focus on exploring sustainable green energy harvesting techniques using hybrid functional materials.”

Commercialization will take a little longer, requiring a scale-up of fabrication ability, long-term biocompatibility assessments, and, of course, clinical trials.

Source: “DL-alanine-based piezoelectric nanogenerator for electric field assisted wound healing,” by Arun Mondal, Shubham Sharma, Prashant Mishra, and Neeraj Khare, APL Electronic Devices (2026). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0317294 .