Preparation, properties, and applications of gelatin-based hydrogels (GHs) in the environmental, technological, and biomedical sectors

Abstract

Gelatin's versatile functionalization offers prospects of facile and effective crosslinking as well as combining with other materials (e.g., metal nanoparticles, carbonaceous, minerals, and polymeric materials exhibiting desired functional properties) to form hybrid materials of improved thermo-mechanical, physio-chemical and biological characteristics. Gelatin-based hydrogels (GHs) and (nano)composite hydrogels possess unique functional features that make them appropriate for a wide range of environmental, technical, and biomedical applications. The properties of GHs could be balanced by optimizing the hydrogel design. The current review explores the various crosslinking techniques of GHs, their properties, composite types, and ultimately their end-use applications. GH's ability to absorb a large volume of water within the gel network via hydrogen bonding is frequently used for water retention (e.g., agricultural additives), and absorbency towards targeted chemicals from the environment (e.g., as wound dressings for absorbing exudates and in water treatment for absorbing pollutants). GH's controllable porosity makes its way to be used to restrict access to chemicals entrapped within the gel phase (e.g., cell encapsulation), regulate the release of encapsulated cargoes within the GH (e.g., drug delivery, agrochemicals release). GH's soft mechanics closely resembling biological tissues, make its use in tissue engineering to deliver suitable mechanical signals to neighboring cells. This review discussed the GHs as potential materials for the creation of biosensors, drug delivery systems, antimicrobials, modified electrodes, water adsorbents, fertilizers and packaging systems, among many others. The future research outlooks are also highlighted.

Keywords: Composite hydrogels; Crosslinking; Functionalization; Gelatin-based hydrogels; Structure-property relationship.