Research output per year
Research output per year
Anitha C. Kumar*, Harikrishna Erothu
Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference output › Chapter
Polymer hydrogels are a rapidly developing group of materials, gaining wide application in different fields, such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, and agriculture. This chapter provides information and a classification of synthetic polymer hydrogels in accordance with their chemical structure, properties, and applications. Gels can be differentiated by the nature of cross-linking into: physical gels and chemical gels. Synthetic polymer hydrogels differ in their characteristics due to various chemical structures, synthesis technique, and water content or cross-linking. A change in chemical composition or even a change in one of the synthesis factors may lead to new intelligent biomaterials. Copolymerization/cross-linking free-radical polymerizations are commonly used to produce hydrogels by reacting hydrophilic monomers with multifunctional cross-linkers. Water-soluble linear polymers of both natural and synthetic origin are cross-linked to form hydrogels in a number of ways. The structural properties of gels make them useful for various kinds of applications such as sensors, contact lenses, artificial organs, and drug delivery systems.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Biomedical applications of polymeric materials and composites |
Editors | Raju Francis, D. Sakthi Kumar |
Place of Publication | Weinheim (DE) |
Publisher | Wiley |
Pages | 141-162 |
Number of pages | 22 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-527-69091-6, 978-3-527-69094-7, 978-3-527-69092-3, 978-3-527-69093-0, 978-3-527-69091-6 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-3-527-33836-8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Oct 2016 |
Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference output › Chapter