DEVELOPMENT OF A pH-RESPONSIVE COLOR-CHANGING SMART BANDAGE INFUSED WITH NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS FOR EARLY INFECTION DETECTION

This project is about creating a type of wound dressing that can detect infection early and help heal wounds using natural medicines.The main goal is to design a bandage that changes color when it detects infection and releases healing agents like honey turmeric, aloe vera, neem extract and tea tree oil. ⁠The bandage will have two functions:⁠ ⁠It will detect infection and ⁠It will help heal wounds. Project involves the design and preparation of a smart color-changing herbal medicated bandage capable of detecting infection and promoting wound healing. Initially, suitable natural antimicrobial agents such as honey, turmeric (curcumin), aloe vera, neem extract, and tea tree oil are selected based on their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. These herbal medicaments are incorporated into a hydrogel or sterile gauze matrix, which serves as the therapeutic layer of the bandage. To prevent the drying or degradation of the active ingredients, the medicaments are infused into a gelatinous sheet layer that maintains moisture and stability. This gelatinous layer is stored under cool temperature conditions to preserve the activity of the organic compounds. During application, the gelatinous sheet containing the medicaments is taken from storage and placed directly onto the infected wound area. Due to body temperature, the gelatinous layer gradually dissolves and releases the active herbal compounds into the wound site, ensuring controlled delivery of the medicaments. In addition, a pH-sensitive indicator layer containing dyes such as bromothymol blue or phenol red is integrated into the bandage structure to detect infection. When bacterial activity increases the wound pH, the indicator layer produces a visible color change, signaling the presence of infection. The bandage is finally evaluated under simulated wound conditions to observe color response, antimicrobial activity, and wound-healing effectiveness, demonstrating its potential as an affordable smart wound-care solution
Keywords:
Bandage, Infection detection, pH indicator, Herbal medicaments, Wound healing, Biomedical dressing