A hydrogel is a three-dimensional network of polymers that is insoluble in water and can absorb bodily fluids in a biological setting.Such a polymer network is created via physical crosslinking, which includes ionic crosslinking, temperature and pH-dependent processes, and enzyme reactions, as well as chemical crosslinking mechanisms like optical polymerization.Chemical hydrogels are created by covalent forces, whereas physical hydrogels are formed by weak secondary forces.Hydrogels are made from a variety of synthetic and natural polymers.The most significant characteristics of hydrogels are swelling, mechanical characteristics, and biological characteristics, all of which have an impact on the hydrogel's morphology and structure.Hydrogen finds value in wound dressings, tissue engineering, contact lenses, and therapeutic drug release, among other medical applications, because of its water absorbing properties and structural resemblance to the extracellular matrix (ECM).We talk about hydrogels, types of hydrogels, their characteristics, and medical applications.
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Bharti et al. (2024) studied this question.
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