A Brief Review on Hydrogel

Abstract

Hydrogels are water-swollen polymeric materials that maintain a distinct three-dimensional structure. The term “hydrogel” implies a material already swollen in water, while in a true sense hydrogel is a cross-linked network of hydrophilic polymers. They possess the ability to absorb large amounts of water and swell, while maintaining their three-dimensional (3D) structure. Depending on the size and density of the mesh, it can carry protein molecules between 14,000 and 1,50,000 Daltons. The traditional methods of hydrogel synthesis were limited in the control of their detailed structure, but novel approaches based on genetic engineering and hybrid hydrogels, have considerably enhanced this research. As a result, the application potential of hydrogels, in addition to traditional areas such as biomaterials and drug delivery systems, has expanded to other fields, such as microfluidics a nanotechnology.