Hydrogels Based on Natural Polymers

Hydrogels Based on Natural Polymers presents the latest research on natural polymer-based hydrogels, covering fundamentals, preparation methods, synthetic pathways, advanced properties, major application areas, and novel characterization techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of each natural polymer-based hydrogel are also discussed, enabling preparation tactics for specific properties and applications. Sections cover fundamentals, development, characteristics, structures and properties. Additional chapters cover presentation methods and properties based on natural polymers, including physical and chemical properties, stimuli-responsive properties, self-healing properties, and biological properties. The final section presents major applications areas, including the biomedical field, agriculture, water treatments, and the food industry.

This is a highly valuable resource for academic researchers, scientists and advanced students working with hydrogels and natural polymers, as well as across the fields of polymer science, polymer chemistry, plastics engineering, biopolymers and biomaterials. The detailed information will also be of great interest to scientists and R&D professionals, product designers, technicians and engineers across industries.

• Provides systematic coverage of all aspects of hydrogels based on natural polymers, including fundamentals, preparation methods, properties and characterization
• Offers a balanced assessment of the specific properties and possibilities offered by different natural polymer-based hydrogels, drawing on innovative research
• Examines cutting-edge applications across biomedicine, agriculture, water treatments, and the food industry

Dr. Yu Chen is Associate Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, China. He is guest editor of the Current Organic Chemistry journal, and an editorial board member for the Trauma & Emergency Care journal. Dr. Chen is a council member of the Youth Committee of the China Materials Research Society.
Dr. Yu Chen’s research interests are focused on chemical modification of natural polymers including chitosan, alginate and cellulose, etc., and their applications in the field of biomedical materials. He has worked on developing an application of wound dressing based on natural polymers for the purpose of hemostasis and anti-microbial properties. Dr. Chen and his group have published more than 60 papers in this field, acquired 16 patents, published 3 review papers and 2 books, and written 5 chapters in published monographs. In 2017, he edited a special issue of Current Organic Chemistry, named ‘Medical Materials from Chitosan, Design, Synthesis, Functionalization and Applications’. He also worked as lead editor on a book on click chemistry, published in 2017