Cellulose-based hydrogel materials: chemistry, properties and their prospective applications

Abstract

Hydrogels based on cellulose comprising many organic biopolymers including cellulose, chitin, and chitosan are the hydrophilic material, which can absorb and retain a huge proportion of water in the interstitial sites of their structures. These polymers feature many amazing properties such as responsiveness to pH, time, temperature, chemical species and biological conditions besides a very high-water absorption capacity. Biopolymer hydrogels can be manipulated and crafted for numerous applications leading to a tremendous boom in research during recent times in scientific communities. With the growing environmental concerns and an emergent demand, researchers throughout the globe are concentrating particularly on naturally derived hydrogels due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and abundance. Cellulose-based hydrogels are considered as useful biocompatible materials to be used in medical devices to treat, augment or replace any tissue, organ, or help function of the body. These hydrogels also hold a great promise for applications in agricultural activity, as smart materials and some other useful industrial purposes. This review offers an overview of the recent and contemporary research regarding physiochemical properties of cellulose-based hydrogels along with their applications in multidisciplinary areas including biomedical fields such as drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound healing, healthcare and hygienic products as well as in agriculture, textiles and industrial applications as smart materials.Graphical abstract

Comparative Study of Powder Celluloses and Cellulose Hydrogels by Waxs Method. Impact of Measurement Technique and Computation on Variability of Results

“…Similar results have been obtained mostly for hydrogels prepared from cellulose nanoparticles, cellulose derivatives and/or composites with the aid of different cross-linkers. [29][30][31] The mechanism of the above phenomenon was proposed in our earlier publication. 7 The gelation and formation of the hydrogels were initiated by the solvent and water, and triggered with the rupture of the network of intra-and intermolecular H-bonds in the initial chains of the cellulose powders and the release of free chains in the solution of DMAc/LiCl.…”

Cellulose-Based Hydrogels in Tissue Engineering Applications

“…51 All these cellulosic materials preserve the bio-related characteristics and the quality to be used as trustworthy scaffolds in the biomedical field to treat, augment or replace certain tissues. [52][53][54] The starting raw materials are widely available, since this is the most abundant biopolymer worldwide: plants, for which it ensures structural and mechanical integrity 55,56 and certain types of bacteria, which are able to produce the so-called bacterial cellulose starting from glucose or similar carbon sources. [57][58][59] The latter is preferred as starting material for hydrogels since it provides longer macromolecular chains, higher purity and superior tensile strength as compared to its analogue.…”

Preparation and Evaluation of Nanofibrous Hydroxypropyl Cellulose and β-Cyclodextrin Polyurethane Composite Mats

“…In biomedical applications it is used in the field of ophthalmology as a lubricant for artificial eyes [31], in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, etc. [32]. β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD), another biobased monomer with a lipophilic cavity and a hydrophilic exterior, has attracted also attention due to its accessibility, lowest cost, environmentally friendly, excellent biocompatibility and ability to form inclusion complexes [33].…”