Next Generation Hydrogel with Only Natural Ingredients

What are hydrogels?

Hydrogels are a superabsorbent material created by long chains of molecules that form a network that can encapsulate huge amounts of water. Their use is widespread in society. We see them in moisturizing creams, cosmetic face masks, contact lenses, as absorbents in diapers, in toothpaste, and in hair gels. Hydrogels are also able to be embedded with useful properties for medicinal needs, as additional ingredients can be blended into the gel for later release onto the skin or into the body. It is common to have severe wounds treated with antibiotic-carrying hydrogels as it gives a perfect moist environment for the wound to heal while keeping infections away. Similarly, hydrogels can be loaded with pharmaceuticals to give a slow-release drug delivery to the patient. Hydrogels can even be combined with electronic interfaces to precisely monitor drug delivery, or to create advanced test strips to analyze small amounts of liquids. In the future, the use of hydrogels will also increase in tissue engineering for healthcare, lab grown meat, and 3D cell printing, as the gel can create a structure similar to human and animal tissue. Despite these great benefits, there is huge room for improvement in the current state of the art for hydrogel manufacture. Many hydrogels are produced from fossil-derived ingredients. Attempts have been made to create a more natural formulation from cellulose, animal mucus, or other polysaccharides found in nature that can be formed into a hydrogel. However, these ingredients often need to be chemically modified to allow them to cross-link into a gel structure. This decreases their biocompatibility and can expose the end user to chemicals, as well as generating waste during production. It also increases the cost and carbon footprint of production, as chemicals need to be handled in specific temperatures and at certain conditions.