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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Hydrogels: Biological Properties and Applications

Hydrogels: Biological Properties and Applications

Barbucci, Rolando

Hardcover

Technology & Engineering

ISBN10: 8847011035
ISBN13: 9788847011038
Publisher: Springer Nature
Published: Dec 29 2008
Pages: 197
Weight: 1.20
Height: 0.60 Width: 6.10 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
Hydrogels are a particular class of compounds of which the major constituent is wa- ter. In fact, water is present in the hydrogel up to 90% and is contained in a scaffold which is generally polymeric and obviously hydrophilic. As a result, hydrogels re- semble each other even though obtained from different polymers. Nevertheless, the polymeric matrix gives particular characteristics to the hydrogel leading to applica- tions in different fields. Water is the main element of the human body, thus hydrogels are excellent struc- tures to favourably shelter proteins, cells etc., without altering their characteristics and properties. This is why hydrogels are mainly designed and synthesized for their usein thebiologicalfield;hence the name biohydrogels. Their propertiespoint totheir use as scaffolds for stem cells which has turned out to be a very promising technique for tissue and organ regeneration. For this reason their investigation falls within the Biomaterials Science. Paradoxically, the conceptual simplicity of hydrogelsupto nowhas led to a super- ficialstudy of their chemistry, chemical physics and mechanics preventing their wider application in the human body due to a lack of knowledge of biological component interactions. For example, it is not clear, yet, how to store hydrogels without alter- ing their characteristics. In fact, hydrogels re-hydrated after lyophylization or oven drying, generally show corrupted properties once swollen in water, in comparison with their native counterparts.

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