Environmentally sensitive nanocomposite hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Nanocomposite hydrogels are hydrated polymeric networks with a physically or covalently cross-linked three-dimensional structure swollen with water, in the presence of nanoparticles or nanostructures. Nanocomposite hydrogels, combining the advantages of both nanofillers and hydrogel matrices, may result in improved physicochemical and biological properties and find their potential applications in biomedical field. In recent years environmental-sensitive nanocomposite hydrogels that exhibited sharp changes in the presence of external environments (pH, temperature, pressure, etc.) have received considerable interest in tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, and cell therapeutics applications because of their unique environment-sensitive properties. This chapter covers fundamental aspects, classification, properties, and biomedical applications of environmental-sensitive nanocomposite hydrogels. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.