Hydrogels and its nanocomposites from renewable resources: Biotechnological and biomedical applications

Abstract

Eco-friendly hydrogel and its nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels prepared from renewable resources have drawn significant attention from industrial and academic sectors. The eco-friendly polymeric hydrogels contain polymers or their composites, which are either biodegradable or biobased (from renewable resources). Their carbon-neutral lifecycle may reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and the dependence on petroleum-based materials and then reduce the human footprint on the environment. In this concern, the technologies are required in order to develop novel soft materials beside to get the new information, and fundamental understanding results in important advancement in the field of hydrogels and its NC hydrogels. A wide diversity of complex hydrogel structures have been found with distinct physical, chemical, and biological properties at the nanometer level. The possibility in order to develop self-assembled and supramolecular morphologies makes natural polymers and inorganic nanoparticles desirable building blocks for the design of water-based gels. In this book chapter, we partially covered the accomplishments and trends in the field of NC polymer hydrogels with a focus on creative approaches to generating structures, properties, and function within mostly biotechnological and biomedical applications.