Mussel-inspired hydrogels: From design principles to promising applications
Abstract
Mussel-inspired chemistry, owing to its unique and versatile functions to manipulate dynamic molecular-scale interactions, has emerged as a powerful tool for the rational design and synthesis of new hydrogels. In particular, possessing a myriad of unique advantages that are otherwise impossible by conventional counterparts, mussel-inspired hydrogels have been widely explored in numerous fields such as biomedical engineering, soft electronics and actuators, and wearable sensors. Despite great excitement and vigor, a comprehensive and timely review on this emerging topic is missing. In this review, we discuss (1) the fundamental interaction mechanisms underpinning the spectacular wet adhesion in natural mussels and mussel-inspired materials; (2) the key routes to engineering hydrogels by leveraging on the interactions of mussel-inspired building blocks; (3) the emerging applications of mussel-inspired hydrogels, especially in the areas of flexible electronics and biomedical engineering; (4) the future perspectives and unsolved challenges of this multidisciplinary field. We envision that this review will provide an insightful perspective to stimulate new thinking and innovation in the development of next-generation hydrogels and beyond.
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Hydrogels are widely applied in various biomedical applications due to their biological tissue-similar structure, biocompatibility, and tunable physical properties.
“By virtue of their biological tissue-similar structure, biocompatibility, and tunable physical properties, hydrogels are widely applied in various biomedical applications [3,25,26].”
From Mussel-Inspired Injectable Adhesive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2024) · cites this paper as [3]
Interactions including hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, cation-π interactions, electrostatic forces, and hydrophobic effects are frequently employed to create self-healable hydrogel networks.
“Interactions, including hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, cation-π interactions, electrostatic forces, and hydrophobic effects, are frequently employed to create self-healable hydrogel networks [3,51].”
From Mussel-Inspired Injectable Adhesive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2024) · cites this paper as [3]
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Self-citationMussel-Inspired Injectable Adhesive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications
Dou, W., Zeng, X., Zhu, S., Zhu, Y., Liu, H., & Li, S. (2024) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms25169100 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“Over recent decades, extensive efforts have been made to understand the intricate compositions and adhesive mechanisms of these mussel-derived proteins [3–5].”
BackgroundMethodWu, Z., Ding, Q., Li, Z., Zhou, Z., Luo, L., Tao, K., Xie, X., & Wu, J. (2022) · Science China Materials · doi:10.1007/s40843-021-2022-1 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zhang, C., Wu, B., Zhou, Y., Zhou, F., Liu, W., & Wang, Z.
- Affiliations
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Zuankai
- Venue
- Chemical Society Reviews
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Published
- 2020
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 3605-3637
- ISSN
- 0306-0012 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-4744
- OpenAlex
- W3024834108
- Cited by
- 653
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 87 · 2025: 123 · 2024: 117 · 2023: 116 · 2022: 105 · 2021: 86 · 2020: 19
- FWCI
- 7.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Chemical Society Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- City University of Hong Kong (9610375, 9680212)
- Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee (C1018-17G, 11275216, 11218417)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Surfaces, Coatings and Films › Polymer Surface Interaction Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Advanced Materials and Mechanics
- Keywords
- mussel-inspired hydrogel, mussel adhesive proteins, wet adhesion, hydrogel design, flexible electronics, soft actuators, wearable sensors, biomedical applications, biomimetic materials
- MeSH terms
- Wearable Electronic Devices, Animals, Biocompatible Materials, Biomedical Engineering, Electronics, Equipment Design, Humans, Hydrogen Bonding, Polymers, Proteins, Biosensing Techniques, Hydrogels, Bivalvia, Mechanical Phenomena, Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
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