Zou Ligang, Li Yixin, Feng Shuaiyang, Wang Zhenyu, Xiao Hui, Chen Sixun, Wang Yingqi, He Liangcan, Mao Xiang
College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, P. R. China.
School of Medicine and Health, Key Laboratory of Micro-Systems and Micro-structures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P. R. China.
Small. 2025 Aug;21(33):e2503147. doi: 10.1002/smll.202503147. Epub 2025 Jun 29.
Hydrogels are 3D polymer networks cross-linked by physical interactions or covalent bonds. Been considered as versatile fabrication platforms for biomaterials due to their excellent biocompatibility and water-solubility. Particularly, the single-component hydrogels exhibit similar properties as above, but have obvious restrictions such as poor mechanical properties, rapid swelling, and unexpected instability. It can limit applications in biomedicine, mechanical proceeding, and electrochemical engineering. To address these limitations, researchers have investigated composite hydrogels' construction, properties, and expanded applications. It mainly focuses on the fabrication of composite hydrogels with integrations of different materials, expanded mechanical properties, varied performances, functionalities, and obvious advantages. This review expounds on the developments in hydrogel-based polymer materials, especially the progress made in the preparation methods, the mechanism of action, and technology development. The review also explores the positive impact of the introduction of innovative elements such as metal ions, nanomaterials, and bioactive molecules on the performance of hydrogels and their pioneering works, providing new perspectives for the design and optimization of hydrogels under specific application requirements. Finally, it looks forward to the challenges and future development potential of composite hydrogels, emphasizing the continuous improvement in design, functional integration, and application suitability, and reveals further prospects in this field.
水凝胶是通过物理相互作用或共价键交联的三维聚合物网络。由于其优异的生物相容性和水溶性，被认为是生物材料的通用制造平台。特别是，单组分水凝胶具有上述类似性质，但存在明显局限性，如机械性能差、快速溶胀和意外的不稳定性。这会限制其在生物医学、机械加工和电化学工程中的应用。为了解决这些局限性，研究人员对复合水凝胶的构建、性质和扩展应用进行了研究。主要侧重于制备具有不同材料整合、扩展机械性能、多样性能、功能和明显优势的复合水凝胶。本综述阐述了水凝胶基聚合物材料的发展，特别是在制备方法、作用机制和技术发展方面取得的进展。综述还探讨了金属离子、纳米材料和生物活性分子等创新元素的引入对水凝胶性能的积极影响及其开创性工作，为特定应用需求下水凝胶的设计和优化提供了新的视角。最后，展望了复合水凝胶面临的挑战和未来发展潜力，强调在设计、功能整合和应用适用性方面的持续改进，并揭示了该领域的进一步前景。
