Super Porous Hydrogels

To overcome the hindrance in the rate of swelling and mechanical strength of hydrogels for different targeted applications that require rapid fluid uptake. Superporous hydrogels have emerged as a new class of materials to hinder these challenges. This chapter will explore the fabrication of SPHs, and various synthetic techniques such as porosigen, phase separation, cross-linking, and gas-blowing methods. The main features of SPHs are high porosity, rapid rate of swelling, higher adsorption capacity, stimuli-responsive behavior to the external environment, biocompatibility, high surface area, and enhanced mass transfer. The SPHs are categorized into three generations: conventional SPHs, SPH composites, and SPH hybrids, with improved mechanical properties and functionalities across various generations. Various applications of SPHs in biotechnology and biomedical engineering are discussed. SPHs have a lot of potential to revolutionize different fields due to their unique properties and tailored functionalities.