Hydrogels In Other Fields
Due to their flexibility and versatility, hydrogels are used in many fields extending from industry to biology. In addition to biomedicine, food science, and agriculture, hydrogels can also be widely used in other fields, including cosmetics, sensors, and pollutant separation. Among them, some applications of hydrogels are currently in the research and development stage and are expected to enter the market in the future.
Major Applications of Hydrogels in Other Fields
The function of cosmetics is to improve the appearance and texture of the skin. Hydrogels have attracted more and more attention in the cosmetics field due to their many properties such as biocompatibility, elasticity, softness and high water content[1]. They are used for skin issues such as cellulite, wrinkles, pigmentation, skin hydration and aging. Face mask, lip mask, under eye pad, etc., are major hydrogel products on the market to treat skin issues.
Hydrogels are fascinating materials for sensors, which rely on the unique properties of hydrogels, such as high compliance, high water content, stimuli-responsiveness, and high permeability to a wide range of molecules. The sensing process of hydrogel-based sensors is usually to receive chemical or physical inputs through chemical diffusion or physical fields, respectively; and then hydrogel-based sensors transduce the input signals into measurable outputs[2]. The output signals are displayed in the form of geometric, mechanical, optical, electrical, and biological responses of the hydrogel-based sensors. Hydrogel-based sensors are becoming practical tools for diverse applications including point-of-care detection, medical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring.
Water pollution is a serious environmental problem, and one reason is the large release of dyes used in the plastic, paper, cosmetic and textile industries, which are non-biodegradable, toxic and carcinogenic. Similarly, heavy metal ions that are highly toxic, non-biodegradable and carcinogenic are also considered as water pollutants. A large number of studies have shown that hydrogels can be used for the separation of these pollutants in water, and the separation effect is good.
What Can We Do?
Hydrogels are a momentous collection of resources with incredible purposes in cosmetics, sensors, and pollutant separation. Alfa Chemistry is passionate about providing a variety of hydrogels as well as related technologies and services to facilitate our consumers in researching the practical application of hydrogels. If you have questions related to the application of hydrogels in these fields, please contact us. We will do our best to help you.
References
- Aswathy, S.H.; et al. Commercial hydrogels for biomedical applications. Heliyon. 2020, 4(6): 3719.
- Liu, X.; et al. Hydrogel machines. Materials Today. 2020, 36: 102-124.
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