Hydrogel Biomaterials: Present and Future Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels consist of hydrophilic polymer networks with the ability to hold large quantities of water. The high-water content of hydrogels provides a biofriendly nature, and hydrogel biomaterials have been popular in the biomedical field. The three-dimensional network structure is linked through physical or chemical interaction. The physical properties, such as water content, mechanical strength, and degradation, can be controlled by the types of crosslinking and component polymers. Thus, versatile biomaterials can be designed in various ways according to the purpose.

Hydrogels are outstanding biomaterials that resemble the key physiological characteristics of natural extracellular matrices. They have great advantages when it comes to exploiting biomolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, and cells, and many studies have been achieved to utilize the features. Still, novel hydrogel materials are being synthesized, and various process technologies are being used to fabricate functional hydrogels. Hydrogels are used as biomaterials for mechanobiology controlling cellular fate control. They are also used in the biomedical field, such as in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biosensors, expanding into clinical applications. Researchers have been developing novel hydrogel materials, and advanced hydrogel materials will be widely used in the future.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit review articles, original papers, and communications for this Special Issue, “Hydrogel Biomaterials: Present and Future Challenges”.

Prof. Dr. Hyun Jong Lee
Guest Editor

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