Issue 18, 2019

Amphiphilic hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Polymeric biomaterials, especially biodegradable polymers, have been extensively applied in biomedical applications. Amphiphilic hydrogels containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic units represent one major class of polymeric biomaterials. Here, we review the fabrication and properties of hydrogels derived from different amphiphiles, as well as their biomedical applications. Amphiphilic peptides have become increasingly attractive in the development of self-assembling hydrogels because of their biological origin. Numerous polysaccharides have also been made amphiphilic as hydrogels, for their good biocompatibility and plentiful functional groups to facilitate chemical modification. Amphiphilic hydrogels have been widely used for drug delivery, tissue engineering, antibacterial activity, and other biomedical applications due to their advantages such as biocompatibility, nontoxicity, controlled biodegradability, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli.

Graphical abstract: Amphiphilic hydrogels for biomedical applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
12 jan 2019
Accepted
09 apr 2019
First published
10 apr 2019

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019,7, 2899-2910

Amphiphilic hydrogels for biomedical applications

H. Chang, C. Li, R. Huang, R. Su, W. Qi and Z. He, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2019, 7, 2899 DOI: 10.1039/C9TB00073A

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