The Biotechnology of Hydrogel-Based Biocomposites

Abstract

Hydrogels are a unique type of polymer that is hydrophilic. This chapter explores the applications of hydrogels in tissue engineering, skin regeneration, soft robots, and artificial muscle production. For tissue engineering, there is a need to maintain proper hardening and desirable strength of hydrogels at physiological temperatures under biological conditions for proper formation of scaffolds with complex shapes. The use of hydrogels for skin regeneration stems from the need to correct skin defects without scarring by enhancing reparative properties and regeneration. Hydrogels promote angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and wound closure effectively. Hydrogels have been used to construct actuators, sensors, communicators, power sources, and computational circuits for soft robots. They are responsive to ambient stimuli, increasing their sensitivity; they are quite flexible and potentially enduring large deformations, making them good substrates for innovative research in artificial muscle generation. While hydrogels offer significant advantages in wound healing and tissue engineering, challenges such as optimising mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and production scalability remain.