A basic guide to hydrogels

Khutoryanskiy, V. V. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7221-2630 and Khutoryanskaya, O. (2009) A basic guide to hydrogels. Newsletter of the United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society, 14. pp. 26-30.

Abstract/Summary

Hydrogels are defined as three-dimensionally cross-linked networks of hydrophilic polymers capable of imbibing large amounts of water or biological fluids.They can be prepared from any water-soluble polymer or monomer, encompassing a wide range of chemical compositions and bulk physical properties. In the swollen state hydrogels are soft, wet and elastic materials that resemble natural living tissue, which makes them candidates for developing various biomaterials and dosage forms. This article provides a brief introduction to hydrogels, methods of their synthesis and properties