Hydrogel: A versatile carrier in drug delivery

Hydrogels are three dimensional, hydrophilic polymers that are cross linked in such a way that they can swell and are capable of retaining large amounts of water, without loss of its structural integrity and show rubber like consistency thus resembling natural living tissues .The ability of the hydrogels to absorb water arises from the hydrophilic functional groups attached to the polymer backbone, while their resistance to dissolution arises from cross-links between network chains.Water inside the hydrogel allows free diffusion of some solute molecule, while the polymer serves as matrix to hold water together.

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Cientista de materiais e investigador