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Review
. 2021 Feb 4:8:615665.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2020.615665. eCollection 2020.

Rational Design of Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Yanyu Zhang  1   2 , Yishun Huang  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Rational Design of Smart Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Yanyu Zhang et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

Hydrogels are polymeric three-dimensional network structures with high water content. Due to their superior biocompatibility and low toxicity, hydrogels play a significant role in the biomedical fields. Hydrogels are categorized by the composition from natural polymers to synthetic polymers. To meet the complicated situation in the biomedical applications, suitable host-guest supramolecular interactions are rationally selected. This review will have an introduction of hydrogel classification based on the formulation molecules, and then a discussion over the rational design of the intelligent hydrogel to the environmental stimuli such as temperature, irradiation, pH, and targeted biomolecules. Further, the applications of rationally designed smart hydrogels in the biomedical field will be presented, such as tissue repair, drug delivery, and cancer therapy. Finally, the perspectives and the challenges of smart hydrogels will be outlined.

Keywords: biomedical; hydrogel; natural polymer; responsibility; synthetic polymer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic diagrams showing the rational design of smart hydrogels.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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