Materials 2009, 2(2), 353-373; doi:10.3390/ma2020353
Review

Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications

Alessandro Sannino* email, Christian Demitriemail and Marta Madaghiele
Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 28 February 2009; in revised form: 3 April 2009 / Accepted: 9 April 2009 / Published: 16 April 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradability of Materials)
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Abstract: Hydrogels are macromolecular networks able to absorb and release water solutions in a reversible manner, in response to specific environmental stimuli. Such stimuli-sensitive behaviour makes hydrogels appealing for the design of ‘smart’ devices, applicable in a variety of technological fields. In particular, in cases where either ecological or biocompatibility issues are concerned, the biodegradability of the hydrogel network, together with the control of the degradation rate, may provide additional value to the developed device. This review surveys the design and the applications of cellulose-based hydrogels, which are extensively investigated due to the large availability of cellulose in nature, the intrinsic degradability of cellulose and the smart behaviour displayed by some cellulose derivatives.
Keywords: Hydrogels; cellulose; biodegradation

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Sannino, A.; Demitri, C.; Madaghiele, M. Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications. Materials 2009, 2, 353-373.

AMA Style

Sannino A, Demitri C, Madaghiele M. Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications. Materials. 2009; 2(2):353-373.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sannino, Alessandro; Demitri, Christian; Madaghiele, Marta. 2009. "Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications." Materials 2, no. 2: 353-373.

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