title: Recent Advances in the Synthesis and Biomedical Applications of Nanocomposite Hydrogels.
abstract: Hydrogels sensitive to electric current are usually made of polyelectrolytes and undergo erosion, swelling, de-swelling or bending in the presence of an applied electric field. The electrical conductivity of many polymeric materials used for the fabrication of biomedical devices is not high enough to achieve an effective modulation of the functional properties, and thus, the incorporation of conducting materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and nanographene oxide) was proposed as a valuable approach to overcome this limitation. By coupling the biological and chemical features of both natural and synthetic polymers with the favourable properties of carbon nanostructures (e.g., cellular uptake, electromagnetic and magnetic behaviour), it is possible to produce highly versatile and effective nanocomposite materials. In the present review, the recent advances in the synthesis and biomedical applications of electro-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. g.spizzirri@unical.it.
authors.forename: Umile Gianfranco
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Spizzirri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. manuela.curcio@unical.it.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. giuseppe.cirillo@unical.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. tania_spataro@libero.it.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spataro
authors.affiliation: Children's Cancer Institute Australia, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia. OVittorio@ccia.org.au.|Australian Centre for Nanomedicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia. OVittorio@ccia.org.au.
authors.forename: Orazio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vittorio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. nevio.picci@unical.it.
authors.forename: Nevio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Picci
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research, PF 270116, D-01171 Dresden, Germany. s.hampel@ifw-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hampel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. francesca.iemma@unical.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iemma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende, Italy. fiore.nicoletta@unical.it.
authors.forename: Fiore Pasquale
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Nicoletta
keywords: carbon nanotubes; composite hydrogels; electro-responsive; graphene