Polymeric Hydrogels with Antimicrobial Activity-A Review of Their Progress

Abstract

Microbial infections happened during wound healing and biomedical implant are serious health problem, which have driven the development of advanced materials with antimicrobial activity. Hydrogels possessing porous structure, swelling property, mechanical performance, and biocompatible nature make them idea platforms to fabricate antimicrobial materials. Here, recently developed hydrogels with antimicrobial activity are summarized and discussed, which can be categorized based on their antimicrobial source, i.e., hydrogels containing antimicrobial agents and inherent antimicrobial hy-drogels. In each section, representative studies will be highlighted with emphasis on the fabrication and properties of hydrogels. Finally, challenges in the antimicrobial hydro-gels and future directions in this research field will be briefly presented and prospected.