Anti-biofouling Hydrogels: Surface Hydration, Classification, and Biomedical Applications

Li-Ping Lang; Hong-Ying Wang; Kuan Cheng; Dan-Yang Chen; Xu Tian; Yu-Qin Cheng; Wen-Guang Liu; Jian-Hai Yang

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3585-x

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Anti-biofouling Hydrogels: Surface Hydration, Classification, and Biomedical Applications

Special Topic: Functional Gels | Updated：2026-05-30

- Anti-biofouling Hydrogels: Surface Hydration, Classification, and Biomedical Applications
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 6, Pages: 1606-1632(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Precious Metal Functional Materials, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
- Author bio：
  
  wgliu@tju.edu.cn (W.G.L.)
  jianhaiyang@tju.edu.cn (J.H.Y.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3585-x
  CLC：
- Received：29 December 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-01-20，
  
  Accepted：23 January 2026，
  
  Online First：07 April 2026，
  
  Published：05 June 2026
- Accepted：
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Lang, L. P.; Wang, H. Y.; Cheng, K.; Chen, D. Y.; Tian, X.; Cheng, Y. Q.; Liu, W. G.; Yang, J. H. Anti-biofouling hydrogels: surface hydration, classification, and biomedical applications. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1606–1632

Li-Ping Lang, Hong-Ying Wang, Kuan Cheng, et al. Anti-biofouling Hydrogels: Surface Hydration, Classification, and Biomedical Applications[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(6): 1606-1632.
Lang, L. P.; Wang, H. Y.; Cheng, K.; Chen, D. Y.; Tian, X.; Cheng, Y. Q.; Liu, W. G.; Yang, J. H. Anti-biofouling hydrogels: surface hydration, classification, and biomedical applications. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1606–1632 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3585-x.

Li-Ping Lang, Hong-Ying Wang, Kuan Cheng, et al. Anti-biofouling Hydrogels: Surface Hydration, Classification, and Biomedical Applications[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(6): 1606-1632. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3585-x.

摘要

This review elucidates the anti-biofouling mechanisms of hydrogels

with a focus on surface hydration interactions—specifically hydrogen bonding and ion solvation—and categorizes the hydrogels based on these mechanisms. It also underscores their biomedical applications

including vitreous substitutes

anti-adhesion barriers

diabetic wound dressings

and device coatings

offering design insights for durable

biocompatible interfaces.

Abstract

Biofouling remains a critical challenge in medical devices

tissue engineering

and wound healing. The development of high-performance anti-biofouling materials is essential to ensure the long-term safety and functionality of biomaterials. Owing to their strong hydration capacity

excellent biocompatibility

and structural tunability

hydrogels show considerable promise for anti-biofouling applications. This review systematically elaborates on the fundamental hydration-mediated anti-biofouling mechanisms of hydrogels. These mechanisms primarily involve the formation of a stable hydration layer on the surface of the hydrogel materials

which acts as a physical and energetic barrier to prevent the initial adsorption of biomacromolecules. Two principal hydration mechanisms are discussed: hydrogen-bonding hydration

in which water molecules are strongly bound to hydrophilic moieties

via

hydrogen bonding

and ion-solvation hydration

which relies on the strong electrostatic interactions between water molecules and zwitterionic groups. Based on these underlying mechanisms

anti-biofouling hydrogels can be categorized into two major classes: hydrogen-bonding hydration-based polymer hydrogels and ion-solvation hydration-based polymer hydrogels. The first type of anti-biofouling hydrogel is constructed mainly from hydrophilic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)

acrylamide polymers

and peptide polymers. The second category includes pure zwitterionic polymer hydrogels

copolymerized zwitterionic polymer hydrogels

and mixed-charge polymer hydrogels. Finally

this review highlights the current biomedical applications and future trends of anti-biofouling hydrogels

including vitreous substitutes

postoperative anti-adhesion barriers

chronic diabetic wound dressings

and surface coatings

with the aim of providing theoretical guidance and strategic insights for the design of highly effective

durable

iosafe anti-biofouling hydrogels.

关键词

Keywords

references

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