Open AccessCucurbit[8]uril-based supramolecular hydrogels for biomedical applications
Author(s) -
Zeyu Wang,
Mingju Shui,
Ian Wyman,
Qing Wen Zhang,
Ruibing Wang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
rsc medicinal chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.754
H-Index - 55
ISSN - 2632-8682
DOI - 10.1039/d1md00019e
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , supramolecular chemistry , cucurbituril , biocompatibility , nanotechnology , supramolecular polymers , non covalent interactions , materials science , polymer , chemistry , polymer science , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , molecule , hydrogen bond , composite material
As a member of the cucurbit[ n ]uril family (where n denotes the number of glycoluril units), cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) possesses a large cavity volume and is able to accommodate two guests simultaneously. Therefore, CB[8] has been adapted as a dynamic noncovalent crosslinker to form various supramolecular hydrogels. These CB[8]-based hydrogels have been investigated for various biomedical applications due to their good biocompatibility and dynamic properties afforded by host-guest interactions. In this review, we summarize the hydrogels that have been dynamically fabricated via supramolecular crosslinking of polymers by CB[8] reported during the past decade, and discuss their design principles, innovative applications in biomedical science and their future prospects.