Ethanol-assisted assembly of hierarchically structured PVA/TA hydrogels for enhanced hemostasis and antibacterial activity.

Uncontrolled hemorrhage and secondary infections remain major causes of trauma-related mortality, demonstrating the urgent need for multifunctional wound dressings integrating rapid hemostasis, mechanical robustness, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Here, we employ ethanol-assisted solvent-mediated assembly to fabricate hierarchically structured poly(vinyl alcohol)/tannic acid (PVA/TA) hydrogels for hemostatic applications. Ethanol is introduced as a transient solvent-mediated modulator to regulate PVA-TA association during processing, facilitating homogeneous precursor formation and progressive network assembly upon solvent evaporation. The resulting hydrogel shows high tensile strength (up to 470 kPa), exceptional stretchability (up to 1400%), rapid macroscopic interfacial healing observed within minutes, and a low swelling ratio (<5% after 24 h of aqueous immersion). The PVA/TA hydrogel also exhibits antibacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus in vitro. In vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrate efficient hemostasis, low extract-mediated hemolysis, and favorable short-term local tissue compatibility. This study introduces a hierarchically structured hydrogel platform combining high mechanical strength and extensibility, swelling resistance, rapid macroscopic interfacial healing, hemostatic performance, and antibacterial activity, fabricated via a straightforward solvent-mediated approach for the development of high-performance multifunctional wound dressings.