Self‐Healing Polymeric Hydrogel Formed by Metal–Ligand Coordination Assembly: Design, Fabrication, and Biomedical Applications

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 40; no. 7; pp. e1800837 - n/a
• Main Authors: Shi, Liyang, Ding, Pinghui, Wang, Yuzhi, Zhang, Yu, Ossipov, Dmitri, Hilborn, Jöns
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.04.2019
• Subjects: Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Biomedical Technology; Catechol; Chelation; coordination chemistry; Coordination Complexes - chemistry; Drug Design; Fabrication; Healing; Histidine; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate - chemical synthesis; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate - chemistry; Hydrogels; Injectability; Ligands; Metal ions; Organic chemistry; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Polymers - chemistry; Pyridines; Rheological properties; self-healing materials; hydrogels; biomaterials; coordination chemistry; self-healing materials
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201800837

Self‐healing hydrogels based on metal–ligand coordination chemistry provide new and exciting properties that improve injectability, rheological behaviors, and even biological functionalities. The inherent reversibility of coordination bonds improves on the covalent cross‐linking employed previously, allowing for the preparation of completely self‐healing hydrogels. In this article, recent advances in the development of this class of hydrogels are summarized and their applications in biology and medicine are discussed. Various chelating ligands such as bisphosphonate, catechol, histidine, thiolate, carboxylate, pyridines (including bipyridine and terpyridine), and iminodiacetate conjugated onto polymeric backbones, as well as the chelated metal ions and metal ions containing inorganic particles, which are used to form dynamic networks, are highlighted. This article provides general ideas and methods for the design of self‐healing hydrogel biomaterials based on coordination chemistry. Metal–ligand coordination assembly is a promising approach for the development of dynamic polymeric networks. Various organic ligands and metal sources, such as metal ions and metal‐containing particles, which can be used to fabricate self‐healing hydrogels, are reviewed in this study. Five types of biomedical applications are also reviewed on the basis of these self‐healing gels.