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A Recent Perspective on Noncovalently Formed Polymeric Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Xue Kun,
Liow Sing Shy,
Karim Anis Abdul,
Li Zibiao,
Loh Xian Jun
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the chemical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1528-0691
pISSN - 1527-8999
DOI - 10.1002/tcr.201800015
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , non covalent interactions , nanotechnology , drug delivery , covalent bond , materials science , chemistry , polymer chemistry , molecule , organic chemistry , hydrogen bond
Abstract Chemically crosslinked covalent hydrogels form a permanent and often strong network, and have been extensively used so far in drug delivery and tissue engineering. However, it is more difficult to induce dynamic and highly tunable changes in these hydrogels. Noncovalently formed hydrogels show promise as inherently reversible systems with an ability to change in response to dynamic environments, and have garnered strong interest recently. In this Personal Account, we elucidate a few key attractive properties of noncovalent hydrogels and describe recent developments in hydrogels crosslinked using various different noncovalent interactions. These hydrogels offer huge control for modulating material properties and could be more relevant mimics for biological systems.