Hydrogels: From soft contact lenses and implants to self‐assembled nanomaterials

TLDR

Hydrogels were the first biomaterials designed for clinical use, initially applied as soft contact lenses and implants. Early hydrogel research laid the groundwork for expanding biomedical polymers into stimuli‑responsive hydrogels that change properties with pH, temperature, solvent, electric field, or biorecognition, and for using hydrogels as drug, peptide, and protein carriers. The study introduces pathways for self‑assembly of block and graft copolymers into hydrogels with precise 3‑D structures. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5929–5946.

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogels were the first biomaterials designed for clinical use. Their discovery and applications as soft contact lenses and implants are presented. This early hydrogel research served as a foundation for the expansion of biomedical polymers research into new directions: design of stimuli sensitive hydrogels that abruptly change their properties upon application of an external stimulus (pH, temperature, solvent, electrical field, biorecognition) and hydrogels as carriers for the delivery of drugs, peptides, and proteins. Finally, pathways to self‐assembly of block and graft copolymers into hydrogels of precise 3D structures are introduced. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5929–5946, 2009