首页|Light manipulation for fabrication of hydrogels and their biological applications
Light manipulation for fabrication of hydrogels and their biological applications
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NSTL
Elsevier
The development of biocompatible materials with desired functions is essential for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Hydrogels prepared from these materials represent an important class of soft matter for mimicking extracellular environments. In particular, dynamic hydrogels with responsive-ness to environments are quite appealing because they can match the dynamics of biological processes. Among the external stimuli that can trigger responsive hydrogels, light is considered as a clean stimulus with high spatiotemporal resolution, complete bioorthogonality, and fine tunability regarding its wave-length and intensity. Therefore, photoresponsiveness has been broadly encoded in hydrogels for biological applications. Moreover, light can be used to initiate gelation during the fabrication of biocompatible hy-drogels. Here, we present a critical review of light manipulation tools for the fabrication of hydrogels and for the regulation of physicochemical properties and functions of photoresponsive hydrogels. The mate -rials, photo-initiated chemical reactions, and new prospects for light-induced gelation are introduced in the former part, while mechanisms to render hydrogels photoresponsive and their biological applications are discussed in the latter part. Subsequently, the challenges and potential research directions in this area are discussed, followed by a brief conclusion. Statement of significance Hydrogels play a vital role in the field of biomaterials owing to their water retention ability and biocom-patibility. However, static hydrogels cannot meet the dynamic requirements of the biomedical field. As a stimulus with high spatiotemporal resolution, light is an ideal tool for both the fabrication and operation of hydrogels. In this review, light-induced hydrogelation and photoresponsive hydrogels are discussed in detail, and new prospects and emerging biological applications are described. To inspire more research studies in this promising area, the challenges and possible solutions are also presented. (c) 2021 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
NSTL
Elsevier
