Natural and Synthetic Hydrogels: Rational Design, Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

Natural and Synthetic Hydrogels: Rational Design, Synthesis and Biomedical Applications provides a
comprehensive text on hydrogels and their biomedical uses, covering both fundamental and applied aspects of hydrogels. Hydrogels are three-dimensional network of cross-linked polymers or particles that contain a large amount of water. They have received tremendous attention for applications in biomedicines, which has led to significant progress in the design and engineering of the hydrogels to meet the needs for such applications.

The book covers the recent developments that have been made in this field, including new applications of hydrogels, providing a new and fresh overview of hydrogels and their applications.

Natural and Synthetic Hydrogels: Rational Design, Synthesis and Biomedical Applications is valuable
to upper level undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and progressors teaching fundamental and applied aspects of hydrogels.

• Provides a complete description for design approaches, synthetic strategies, and their characterizations
• Covers responsive hydrogels from the synthesis and application point-of-view
• Evaluates modern techniques to prepare hydrogels and their characterizations

Ravin Narain, PhD, PEng, FRSC, is a Professor at the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering in the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Prof. Narain has made significant contributions to research on the
design, fabrication, and characterization of novel carbohydrate-based materials (glycopolymers, hydrogels, and nanomaterials) for a wide range of applications. His research has also covered biomaterials, nanomedicines, and regenerative medicines, with an emphasis on developing advanced materials as cancer therapeutics, antifouling and antimicrobial uses, and cell/tissue engineering advances. He has published numerous articles in peerreviewed
and high-impact journals and has edited several books, namely, Engineered Carbohydrate-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications (Wiley), Chemistry of Bioconjugates (Wiley), Glycopolymers: Synthesis and Applications (Smithers & Rapra), Polymers and Nanomaterials for Gene Therapy (Woodhead Publishing Elsevier), and Polymer Science and Nanotechnology (Elsevier). He was recently the section editor for the second edition of the book―Comprehensive Glycoscience (Elsevier). He is also on the editorial board for Frontiers in
Chemistry (Polymer Chemistry), Polymer Chemistry (RSC), Biomacromolecules (ACS), and Polymers (MDPI). He has won several awards including the Distinguished Visiting Researcher Award from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia.