Self-Gelling Powder Driven by Electrostatic-Schiff Synergy Enables Blood-To-Gel Transformation for Rapid Hemostasis

Severe trauma and uncontrolled bleeding remain major clinical challenges, requiring materials that can rapidly seal wounds under wet and dynamic conditions. Here, we report a self-gelling hemostatic powder based on quaternized chitosan (QCS) and oxidized konjac glucomannan (OKGM), which achieves rapid blood-to-gel transformation through a synergistic mechanism combining electrostatic attraction and Schiff base cross-linking. Upon contact with blood, the powder instantaneously absorbs exudate and self-assembles into a cohesive hydrogel barrier, exhibiting strong wet tissue adhesion (52.87 kPa) and high burst pressure resistance (33.37 kPa). The positively charged QCS component promotes erythrocyte aggregation and coagulation, while dynamic covalent bonding between QCS and OKGM ensures structural stability and self-healing. In a rat liver hemorrhage model, the material significantly reduced blood loss and hemostatic time compared to commercial controls. Additionally, QCS-OKGM powder (QOM) demonstrated broad-spectrum antibacterial activity (>98% inhibition) and immunomodulatory effects, promoting macrophage polarization toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In vivo examination in a rat skin wound model demonstrated that QOM significantly promoted wound healing by modulating the local inflammatory phenotype. This electrostatic-Schiff synergistic strategy provides a paradigm for developing next-generation bioactive powders capable of instant blood gelation, rapid hemostasis, and immune microenvironment regulation.