Preparation method, Properties and Crosslinking of hydrogel: a review

Hydrogels comprises of different classes class of materials that could absorb considerable amount of water while maintaining their integrity in water having three dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks. In the last few years, radical methods of preparation of hydrophilic polymers and hydrogels have evolved that may be used in the future in drug delivery applications. For successful and desirable applications, synthesis of new polymers and cross-linkers having more biocompatibility and better biodegradability would be beneficial. This review provides an overview of the different classes of hydrogels, their characterization, method of preparation, their advantages and disadvantages and cross-linking.