Gels That Serve as Mucus Simulants: A Review

Mucus is a critical part of the human body’s immune system that traps and carries away various particulates such as anthropogenic pollutants, pollen, viruses, etc. Various synthetic hydrogels have been developed to mimic mucus, using different polymers their backbones. Common these simulants three-dimensional gel network physically crosslinked capable loosely entrapping water within. Two challenges in mimicking mucus include need rheological properties its ability capture (its adhesion mechanism). In this paper, we review existing discuss rheological, adhesive, tribological properties. We show most, but not all, indeed mucus; like most hydrogel reviewed here demonstrated higher storage modulus than loss modulus, values are range found mucus. However, only one mimics adhesive (which for particulates), Polyvinyl alcohol–Borax hydrogel.