Environment adaptive hydrogels for extreme conditions: a review

Abstract

Hydrogels have attracted extensive attention due to their excellent swellability, permeability, and biocompatibility. In recent years, the demand for multifunctional hydrogels has been on the increase; there is also an increased need to utilise hydrogels in more varied and extreme applications, such as low temperature, anoxic environment, ultraviolet damage, burns, and the marine environment. Furthermore, traditional hydrogel materials cannot meet the requirements of the application in extreme environments. Therefore, it is necessary to design and develop hydrogels that are adaptable to certain extreme conditions. This review summarises recent advances in hydrogels that meet application requirements under extreme conditions, particularly in the biomedical field and prospects for their future development.

Mussel-Inspired Redox-Active and Hydrophilic Conductive Polymer Nanoparticles for Adhesive Hydrogel Bioelectronics

“…In particular, adhesive hydrogels could be designed by learning from natural adhesion mechanisms such as those found in sundew [28] and sandcastle worms [29]. Recently, adhesive hydrogels based on mussel-inspired catechol chemistry have attracted much attention [30,31]. The adhesiveness of catechol-based hydrogels is attributed to the covalent/noncovalent reactions between the catechol groups of the hydrogel and substrate [32][33][34].…”

Polyacrylamide/Chitosan-Based Conductive Double Network Hydrogels with Outstanding Electrical and Mechanical Performance at Low Temperatures

“…To date, the application of multifunctional hydrogels has been intensively explored in the fields of tissue engineering, − drug release, − and soft electronics. ,, Most research was focused on improving the mechanical properties and functionalities of materials, whereas little attention has been paid to overcome the drawbacks of the hydrogels under extreme conditions, including low temperature, hypoxia, high-dose exposure of ultraviolet (UV) . For example, traditional conductive hydrogels tend to freeze below 0 °C and lose their elasticity and electrical conductivity, which limits their usage at low temperatures. , However, there is a pressing demand for applying hydrogels in certain extreme environments. , …”