Abstract
Soft micro‐ and nanostructures have been extensively developed for biomedical applications. The main focus has been on multifunctional composite materials that combine the advantages of hydrogels and colloidal particles. Magnetic microgels and nanogels can be realized by hybridizing stimuli‐sensitive gels and magnetic nanoparticles. They are of particular interest since they can be controlled in a wide range of biological environments by using magnetic fields. In this review, we elucidate physical principles underlying the design of magnetic microgels and nanogels for biomedical applications. Particularly, this article provides a comprehensive and conceptual overview on the correlative structural design and physical functionality of the magnetic gel systems under the concept of colloidal biodevices. To this end, we begin with an overview of physicochemical mechanisms related to stimuli‐responsive hydrogels and transport phenomena and summarize the magnetic properties of inorganic nanoparticles. On the basis of the engineering principles, we categorize and summarize recent advances in magnetic hybrid microgels and nanogels, with emphasis on the biomedical applications of these materials. Potential applications of these hybrid microgels and nanogels in anticancer treatment, protein therapeutics, gene therapy, bioseparation, biocatalysis, and regenerative medicine are highlighted. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities in the design of smart colloidal biodevices are discussed.
Highlights
This review article attempts to contribute to the realization of this vision by systematically describing the physical engineering principles of magnetic microgel (MMG) and magnetic nanogel (MNG) systems underlying the design of magnetic soft gel device
We focus on the major physicochemical mechanisms of these hybrid systems in Part I, and discuss recent progress in biomedical applications of the hybrids of MG/NG and magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)
Depending on the gel-MNP hybridization type, MMGs and MNGs may fall into one of the following categories (Figure 3): 1. Hollow gel-shells filled with magnetic fluids[83]: Compact core–shell MGs84-86 can be classified in this category since the MNP core may be regarded as a high-density magnetic fluid surrounded by a gel shell
Summary
Over the past two decades, stimuli-responsive polymers and multifunctional nanoparticles have been increasingly used for the fabrication of nanometer- and micrometer-scale soft devices for a range of biomedical applications and clinical fields.[1,2,3,4,5] In particular, composites of polymeric micro- and nanohydrogels with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted increasing attention in the fields of nanomedicine and tissue engineering.
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