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There is ongoing research for biomedical applications of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based hydrogels; however, the execution of this has not yet been achieved at an appropriate level for commercialization. Advanced perception is necessary for the design and synthesis of suitable materials, such as PVA-based hydrogel for biomedical applications. Among polymers, PVA-based hydrogel has drawn great interest in biomedical applications owing to their attractive potential with characteristics such as good biocompatibility, great mechanical strength, and apposite water content. By designing the suitable synthesis approach and investigating the hydrogel structure, PVA-based hydrogels can attain superb cytocompatibility, flexibility, and antimicrobial activities, signifying that it is a good candidate for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, drug delivery, wound dressing, contact lenses, and other fields. In this review, we highlight the current progresses on the synthesis of PVA-based hydrogels for biomedical applications explaining their diverse usage across a variety of areas. We explain numerous synthesis techniques and related phenomena for biomedical applications based on these materials. This review may stipulate a wide reference for future acumens of PVA-based hydrogel materials for their extensive applications in biomedical fields.

Polymeric hydrogels have drawn considerable attention as a biomedical material for their unique mechanical and chemical properties, which are very similar to natural tissues. Among the conventional hydrogel materials, self-healing hydrogels (SHH) are showing their promise in biomedical applications in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. Additionally, their responses can be controlled via external stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, pressure, or radiation). Identifying a suitable combination of viscous and elastic materials, lipophilicity and biocompatibility are crucial challenges in the development of SHH. Furthermore, the trade-off relation between the healing performance and the mechanical toughness also limits their real-time applications. Additionally, short-term and long-term effects of many SHH in the in vivo model are yet to be reported. This review will discuss the mechanism of various SHH, their recent advancements, and their challenges in tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery.

The current level of achievement in obtaining suitable polymer gel-based materials for efficient applications in thermoelectric devices is insufficient, although a substantial amount of research has already been performed. In this context, further investigations are necessary to design and synthesize polymer gel-based materials for ionic thermoelectric device applications. Polymer gel-based materials have attracted extensive consideration because of their multiple benefits, including easy processing, eco-friendly waste, and versatility, making them excellent materials for ionic thermoelectric devices. However, the design and synthesis of suitable polymer gel-based materials for ionic thermoelectric devices are still challenging areas of research. The surface morphological topography of prepared polymer gels is an important issue in thermoelectric device applications. In this review, significant approaches for the design and synthesis of polymer gel-based materials are discussed. This review may provide an important reference for upcoming perceptions on the design and synthesis of polymer gel materials for thermoelectric devices.

Polypyrrole (PPy)-based nanocomposite materials are of great interest to the scientific community owing to their usefulness in designing state-of-the-art industrial applications, such as fuel cells, catalysts and sensors, energy devices, and especially batteries. However, the commercialization of these materials has not yet reached a satisfactory level of implementation. More research is required for the design and synthesis of PPy-based composite materials for numerous types of battery applications. Due to the rising demand for environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable energy, battery applications are a significant solution to the energy crisis, utilizing suitable materials like PPy-based composites. Among the conducting polymers, PPy is considered an important class of materials owing to their ease of synthesis, low cost, environmentally friendly nature, and so on. In this context, PPy-based nanocomposites may be very promising due to their nanostructural properties and distinct morphological topography, which are vital concerns for their applications for battery applications. Such features of PPy-based nanocomposites make them particularly promising for next-generation electrode materials. However, the design and fabrication of appropriate PPy-based nanocomposites for battery applications is still a challenging area of research. This review paper describes the current progress on the synthesizing of PPy-based composites for battery applications along with their morphological topography. We discussed here the recent progress on the synthesis of different PPy-based composites, including PPy/S, PPy/MnOx, MWCNT/PPy, V2O5/PPy, Cl-doped PPy/rGO, and Fe/α-MnO2@PPy composites, by a polymerization approach for numerous battery applications. The insights presented in this review aim to provide a comprehensive reference for the future development of PPy-based composites in battery technology.

Biodegradable polymers play an important role in environmental concerns compared to non-biodegradable polymers. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a biodegradable polymer with film-forming properties with antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and are considered for numerous practical applications in the industry, like food packaging, pharmaceuticals, and so on. The synthesis of PVA with promising properties like rheology, morphology, and mechanical performance is significant from the application point of view in industrial sectors. It is vital to realize the drawbacks and promising prospects associated with PVA rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties and how to address the problems concerning these properties. The present review describes the contemporary advancement of numerous synthesis approaches of PVA-based composite films and their rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties. This comprehensive review offers a comprehensive discussion of various strategies to enhance the rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties of composite films. It emphasizes modifications using environmentally friendly materials such as nanoparticles, metal oxides, polymers, and others. Additionally, existing challenges and the potential for forthcoming advancements in the properties of such composite films are discussed. The correlation between the PVA-based composite films and their promising properties like rheology, morphology, and mechanical performance may provide a reference for new insights into their applications in industrial sectors.

Achieving the ideal replacement for robust biological tissues requires biocompatible materials with a nuanced blend of characteristics, including organ specific toughness, durability, self-repairing capability, and a well-defined structure. Hydrogels, structured with high water containing 3D-crosslinked polymeric networks, present a promising avenue in biomedical applications due to their close resemblance to natural tissues. However, their mechanical performance often falls short, limiting their clinical applications. Recent research has been focused on developing biocompatible hydrogel materials for therapeutic applications. Recent advancements have spurred researchers to develop biocompatible hydrogels having acceptable mechanical toughness. While it is now possible to tailor the mechanical properties of synthetic gels to mimic those of natural tissues, critical aspects such as biocompatibility and crosslinking strategies are frequently neglected. This review scrutinizes the structural and crosslinking techniques designed to improve the toughness of hydrogels, focusing especially on innovative efforts to integrate these enhancements into natural-based hydrogels. By thoroughly examining these methodologies, the review sheds light on the complexities of strengthening hydrogels for biomedical applications and will propose valuable insights for the development of next-generation tissue substitutes.

Flexible sensors are revolutionizing wearable and implantable devices, with conductive hydrogels emerging as key materials due to their biomimetic structure, biocompatibility, tunable transparency, and stimuli-responsive electrical properties. However, their fragility and limited durability pose significant challenges for broader applications. Drawing inspiration from the self-healing capabilities of natural organisms like mussels, researchers are embedding self-repair mechanisms into hydrogels to improve their reliability and lifespan. This review highlights recent advances in self-healing (SH) conductive hydrogels, focusing on synthesis methods, healing mechanisms, and strategies to enhance multifunctionality. It also explores their wide-ranging applications, including in vivo signal monitoring, wearable biochemical sensors, supercapacitors, flexible displays, triboelectric nanogenerators, and implantable bioelectronics. While progress has been made, challenges remain in balancing self-healing efficiency, mechanical strength, and sensing performance. This review offers insights into overcoming these obstacles and discusses future research directions for advancing SH hydrogel-based bioelectronics, aiming to pave the way for durable, high-performance devices in next-generation wearable and implantable technologies.

Recent advancements in biomedical engineering have shed light on the remarkable capabilities of self‐healing hydrogels, particularly those derived from chitosan (CHS) or its derivatives. These hydrogels exhibit noteworthy properties such as self‐healing (SH), biocompatibility, and responsiveness to various stimuli like pressure, temperature, and pH. Recently, different therapeutic approaches, especially gene therapy and chemotherapy, have been explored through the incorporation of CHS‐based hydrogels with therapeutic agents. Despite their promise, the clinical application of CHS hydrogels has been limited owing to an inadequate combination of physical and chemical properties, resulting in uncontrolled swelling and suboptimal SH behavior, particularly in terms of mechanical properties. This comprehensive review will explore the mechanistic understanding of various functionalized CHS, shedding light on their ability to offer desired SH properties while enhancing swelling behavior. These advancements are crucial for applications in tissue engineering and wound management. This comprehensive review aims to serve as a guide to CHS‐based self‐healing hydrogels, emphasizing their potential in addressing diverse challenges in the field of biomedical engineering.