Properties of hydrogels

FERRANTE MICAELA; ALVAREZ VERA; GONZÁLEZ JIMENA

Natural and Synthetic Hydrogels: Rational Design, Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

Elsevier Science

Año: 2024;

AbstractHydrogels are macromolecular networks that are able to swell in water. The ability of these gels to absorb water arises from their hydrophilic functional groups attached to the polymeric backbone. Furthermore, they present the ability to resist dissolution in water, which results from the crosslinks between network chains, which can be either physical or chemical.Hydrogels are developed to fulfill specific requirements, such as applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wastewater treatment, among others. Water-swollen hydrogels are soft materials that can mimic the mechanical properties of animal tissue. They have been used in various forms, including scaffolds, injectable hydrogels, nanogels, microgels, nanofibers, and membranes. This article aims to review the literature on hydrogel classification, their physicochemical properties, and popular applications.