Effect of salt addition towards enhancement of water retention capacity of hydrogel

• Published in: Materials today : proceedings 2024-05
• Main Authors: Milampure, Chaitanya, Jawale, Dhairya, Shingate, Siddhesh, Mahala, Pramila, Kulshrestha, Upendra, Bandhu Ghosh, Subrata, Bandyopadhyay-Ghosh, Sanchita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Flexible sensor; Hydrogel; Salt addition; Tissue engineering; Water retention
• ISSN: 2214-7853; 2214-7853
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2024.05.072

Hydrogels have demonstrated exceptional prospects for possible uses in medicines, bioprinting, tissue engineering, soft robotics, and flexible electronics due to their distinctive qualities such as porosity, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, flexibility, and tuneable capabilities. The evaporation of intrinsic water within the polymeric network, however, makes the hydrogels vulnerable to drying in dry settings and even at room temperature. The hydrogels' widespread applicability is seriously hampered by drying, which also causes a loss of flexibility, hydrophilicity, and dimensional stability. To this purpose, numerous efforts have been made in recent years to develop hydrogels with improved water retention properties. Because salts are hygroscopic, adding salt, for instance, improves water retention. We cover the creation of hydrogels and their dehydration mechanisms in this paper. Additionally, we have highlighted a crucial strategy of salt addition to enhance water retention capacity of hydrogels, whereby this article reviews how specific salts can be added to hydrogels to improve their ability to retain water. Finally, we present the future prospects for hydrogels for their widespread and potential use in various fields.