Progress and Challenges in Clay-Based Hemostatic Materials

Clay minerals, such as kaolinite, zeolite, halloysite, montmorillonite, and palygorskite, show promise as haemostatic materials due to their high water absorption, surface negative charge, ion-exchange capacity, abundant availability, and good biocompatibility. These materials address limitations of current haemostatic materials, which include high blood loss, slow clotting rates, non-degradability, and difficulty in fitting complex wounds. Recent advances highlight the correlation between the haemostatic properties of clays and their chemical composition and microstructure. Future development should focus on engineering high-performance clay-based wound dressings that integrate haemostasis, antibacterial activity, tissue repair promotion, biocompatibility, degradability, adaptability to complex wound shapes, and cost-effectiveness.