Multifunctional Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Since the pioneering work on crosslinked hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hydrogels by Wichterle and Lim in 1960, hydrogels have attracted significant attention from materials researchers due to their excellent hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and the ability to design their three-dimensional network structure and functionality. Multifunctional hydrogels not only possess the basic properties of hydrogels but also exhibit additional characteristics, such as bioactivity, self-healing, adhesion, conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, 3D printing functionality, and intelligent responsiveness. In the field of biomedicine, multifunctional hydrogels have shown tremendous potential and have been extensively researched in various applications including drug delivery systems, tissue engineering scaffolds, wound healing, hemostasis, flexible sensors, bioactive hydrogels, and hydrogels for cancer treatment. These hydrogels have made significant advancements, but their development requires interdisciplinary collaboration and further research.

This Special Issue entitled "Multifunctional Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications" aims to highlight the recent progress in several widely studied application areas of multifunctional hydrogel materials, promoting the development of multifunctional hydrogels with comprehensive properties for biomedical applications. In this context, a wide range of topics will be discussed, including new gel precursors, new network crosslinking mechanisms, multifunctional coupling strategies, biological effect evaluation, and biomedical applications. It is hoped that these topics inspire new research and discoveries in the field of multifunctional hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Dr. Xin Zhao
Dr. Zexing Deng
Guest Editors

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