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Graphene oxide-incorporated hydrogels for biomedical applications

Abstract

Graphene and graphene derivatives (e.g., graphene oxide (GO)) have been incorporated into hydrogels to improve the properties (e.g., mechanical strength) of conventional hydrogels and/or develop new functions (e.g., electrical conductivity and drug loading/delivery). Unique molecular interactions between graphene derivatives and various small or macromolecules enable the fabrication of various functional hydrogels appropriate for different biomedical applications. In this mini-review, we highlight the recent progress in GO-incorporated hydrogels for biomedical applications while focusing on their specific uses as mechanically strong materials, electrically conductive scaffolds/electrodes, and high-performance drug delivery vehicles.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (NRF-2019R1A2C2002515 and NRF-2019M3C1B8090799).

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Yi, J., Choe, G., Park, J. et al. Graphene oxide-incorporated hydrogels for biomedical applications. Polym J 52, 823–837 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-020-0350-9

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