What does hydrogel mean?
Table of Contents
What does hydrogel mean?
A hydrogel is a three-dimensional (3D) network of hydrophilic polymers that can swell in water and hold a large amount of water while maintaining the structure due to chemical or physical cross-linking of individual polymer chains. Hydrogels were first reported by Wichterle and Lím (1960) [1].
What is hydrogel structure?
Hydrogels are known as soft materials usually composed of three dimensional, insoluble, cross-linked polymer networks that can uptake a large amount of water inside its network [1]. These polymer networks are often cross-linked through chemical or physical interactions.
How many types of hydrogel are there?
two
The original sources of hydrogels are often divided into two main classes; i.e., artificial (petrochemical-based) and natural. The latter can be divided into two main groups, i.e., the hydrogels based on polysaccharides and others based on polypeptides (proteins).
What is hydrogel material?
Hydrogels are water-swollen polymeric materials that maintain a distinct three-dimensional structure. They were the first biomaterials designed for use in the human body [1,2].
What are the properties of hydrogels?
Due to the distinctive characteristic properties, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, superabsorbancy, viscoelasticity, softness, and fluffiness, hydrogels play a prime role in biomedical applications.
Why are hydrogels used?
Hydrogels are used for producing contact lenses, hygiene products and wound dressings. Other commercial uses of hydrogels are in drug delivery and tissue engineering. More developments are expected in drug delivery and tissue engineering. High production costs of hydrogels are limiting their further commercialization.
How are hydrogels formed?
Synthesis of hydrogels involves physical, chemical, and hybrid bonding. The bonding is formed via different routes, such as solution casting, solution mixing, bulk polymerization, free radical mechanism, radiation method, and interpenetrating network formation.
What are the advantages of hydrogels?
Compared with other types of biomaterials, hydrogels have the advantages of increased biocompatibility, tunable biodegradability, properly mechanical strength, porous structure, and so on.
What are natural hydrogels?
The two major classes of natural polymers forming hydrogels are (1) polysaccharides such as HA, alginate, and chitosan and (2) proteins such as collagen, gelatin, and lysozyme [23], [24], [25], [26]. These hydrogels are biocompatible, biodegradable, and nontoxic.
Who makes hydrogel?
The hydrogel market is led by major players in the healthcare and chemicals industries. Johnson & Johnson (US), Cardinal Health (US), The 3M Company (US), Coloplast (Denmark), B.
Where is hydrogel used?
What are the limitations of hydrogels?
The main disadvantage of hydrogel is that they are non-adherent and may need to be secured by a secondary dressing and also causes sensation felt by movement of the maggots. Hydrogels have low mechanical strength and difficult to handle and are expensive.
What are disadvantages of hydrogels?
One major drawback when working with hydrogels is the lack of mechanical strength. Therefore, maintaining and improving the mechanical integrity of the processed scaffolds has become a key issue regarding 3-dimensional hydrogel structures.
What is hydrogel made of?
Hydrogels are prepared using a variety of polymeric materials, which can be divided broadly into two categories according to their origin: natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers for hydrogel preparation include hyaluronic acid, chitosan, heparin, alginate, and fibrin.
What are the properties of hydrogel?
Is hydrogel a plastic?
The hybrid hydrogel can also self-heal within a few seconds. “Because this material is mainly composed of minerals and exhibits plastic-like properties, we dubbed it ‘mineral plastic’,” says Cölfen.
Why hydrogels are used in drug delivery?
Hydrogel delivery systems can leverage therapeutically beneficial outcomes of drug delivery and have found clinical use. Hydrogels can provide spatial and temporal control over the release of various therapeutic agents, including small-molecule drugs, macromolecular drugs and cells.
What is hydrogel good for?
When used as a wound dressing, hydrogel not only forms a physical barrier and removes excess exudate but also provides a moisture environment that promotes the wound healing process. Additionally, hydrogel can perfectly fill irregularly shaped wounds and deal with deep bleeding efficiently.
