Application and progress of inorganic composites in haemostasis: a review

Uncontrolled bleeding has long been a major challenge for the health care system. Bleeding, whether caused by trauma, genetic disease, surgery, or medications, can cause life-threatening damage or even death. Inorganic haemostatic materials, while effective in haemostasis, tend to be less biocompatible. In recent years, inorganic composite haemostatic materials have received widespread attention for their ability to rapidly stop bleeding and for their low biotoxicity. This review focuses on the haemostatic mechanisms of silicate minerals (zeolite, montmorillonite, and bioglass), silica (mesoporous silica and diatomaceous silica), polyphosphates, inorganic carbon materials (graphene and carbon nanotubes), metal-containing materials (metal–organic frameworks) and related composite haemostatic materials. In this review, not only the preparation of various inorganic composite haemostatic materials but also their haemostatic mechanisms and haemostatic effects are described in detail. At the end of the review, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of inorganic composite haemostatic materials and introduce their challenges and prospects.