Version 1
: Received: 28 August 2023 / Approved: 28 August 2023 / Online: 29 August 2023 (08:53:12 CEST)
How to cite:
Malucelli, G.; Mariani, A. Polymer Hydrogels and Frontal Polymerization: A Winning Coupling. Preprints2023, 2023081900. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1900.v1
Malucelli, G.; Mariani, A. Polymer Hydrogels and Frontal Polymerization: A Winning Coupling. Preprints 2023, 2023081900. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1900.v1
Malucelli, G.; Mariani, A. Polymer Hydrogels and Frontal Polymerization: A Winning Coupling. Preprints2023, 2023081900. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1900.v1
APA Style
Malucelli, G., & Mariani, A. (2023). Polymer Hydrogels and Frontal Polymerization: A Winning Coupling. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1900.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Malucelli, G. and Alberto Mariani. 2023 "Polymer Hydrogels and Frontal Polymerization: A Winning Coupling" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.1900.v1
Abstract
Polymer hydrogels are 3D networks consisting of hydrophilic crosslinked macromolecular chains, able to swell and retain water. Since their invention in the 1960s, they have become an outstanding pillar in the design, development, and application of engineered polymer systems suitable for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications (such as drug or cell delivery, regeneration of hard and soft tissues, wound healing, and bleeding prevention, among others). Despite several well-established synthetic routes of polymer hydrogels based on batch polymerization techniques, about fifteen years ago academia started to look for alternative methods involving simpler reaction paths, shorter reaction times, and lower energy consumption. In this context, frontal polymerization (FP) undoubtedly has become an alternative and efficient reaction model that allows for converting monomers into polymers via a localized and propagating reaction, by exploiting the formation and propagation of a “hot” polymerization front, able to self-sustain and propagate throughout the monomeric mixture. Therefore, the present work aims to summarize the main research outcomes, achieved during the last years, concerning the design, preparation, and application of FP-derived polymeric hydrogels, demonstrating the feasibility of this technique for the obtainment of functional 3D networks, and providing the reader with some perspectives for the forthcoming years.
Chemistry and Materials Science, Polymers and Plastics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
