Use and application of hydrogel

Origin and development of hydrogel

A hydrogel can be defined as a polymeric material which exhibits the ability to swell in water and retain a significant fraction (e.g., > 20%) of water within its structure, but which will not dissolve in water. Included in this definition are a wide variety of natural materials of both plant and animal origin, materials prepared by modifying naturally occurring structures, and synthetic polymeric materials. This review article will consider only synthetic hydrogel systems which are being used as, or have potential for use, as biomaterials. This constraint is not in tended to imply that biomaterials prepared from natural biopolymers are unimportant or uninteresting. Examples of modified natural biopolymers which are presently receiving attention for biomedical applications include Cuprophan, cross-linked Dextrans, and cross-linked, enzymatically treated collagens.

Hydrogels are currently revolutionizing the fields of ophthalmology & medicine to improve vision, treat burns, & administer drugs. And in the not-so-distant future, virologist Dr. Halldor Thormar exclaims that if used correctly, hydrogels have the potential to stop AIDS dead in its tracks. So to understand why the July 1, 1999 Discover quips that hydrogels are a lot like Jell-O let's first uncover the origin of hydrogels & find out exactly how they work. You see, hydrogels were first designed in the late 1950's for use in soft contact lenses, an application for which they are still used today.

Then in the 1970's, Dr. Tanaka discovered that by altering the external conditions around a hydrogel such as water, temperature, & light, one could manipulate its physical properties as well. Dr. Tanaka states that a very tiny change in the surrounding environment can cause a hydrogel to swell more than 1,000 times its original volume. Today, scientists can now design hydrogels from scratch out of a wide ...