Advanced Polymer Hydrogels and Elastomers for Flexible Electronics and Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2023) | Viewed by 1946

Special Issue Editors

College of Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Xin Kang Road, Yucheng District, Ya’an 625014, China
Interests: polymer; hydrogel; elastomer; sensors; flexible electronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Interests: sustainability; recycling plastic; sustainable materials; wood-plastic composites; thermal conductivity materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft polymers like hydrogels and elastomers have gained popularity in flexible electronics (e.g., sensors, actuators) and biomedical applications due to their soft nature that resembles human soft tissues. Though great breakthroughs have been made in the past decade with hydrogels and elastomers, many challenges still need to be addressed. For instance, improving the mechanical properties of hydrogels; enhancing the biocompatibility of elastomers; endowing hydrogels/elastomers with multi-functionality; customizing the mechanical property and functionality of hydrogels/elastomers for targeted applications and application objects; etc. This Special Issue aims to highlight the progress in the mechanical properties, functionalities, and applications of hydrogels and elastomers that have been achieved via rational structure design and synthesis innovation.

Prof. Dr. Gehong Su
Dr. Qingye Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • polymer hydrogels
  • polymer elastomers
  • flexible sensors
  • actuators
  • biomedical applications

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 2113 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Polymeric Hydrogels Containing Esomeprazole for Oral Delivery: In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacokinetic Characterization
by Irshad Ullah, Ayesha Shuja Farooq, Iffat Naz, Waqar Ahmad, Hidayat Ullah, Shama Sehar and Asif Nawaz
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1798; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071798 - 06 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1419
Abstract
Hydrogel is one of the most interesting and excellent candidates for oral drug delivery. The current study focuses on formulation development of hydrogels for controlled oral delivery of esomeprazole. The hydrogels were prepared by solution casting method by dissolving polymers in Polyvinyl alcohol [...] Read more.
Hydrogel is one of the most interesting and excellent candidates for oral drug delivery. The current study focuses on formulation development of hydrogels for controlled oral delivery of esomeprazole. The hydrogels were prepared by solution casting method by dissolving polymers in Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. Calcium alginate, Hydroxyl propyl methylcellulose (HPMC), acrylic acid and chondroitin sulfate were used in the preparation of hydrogels. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed no incompatibilities between drug and excipients used in the preparation of formulations. The hydrogels were characterized for size and surface morphology. Drug encapsulation efficiency was measured by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. In vitro release studies were carried out using dissolution apparatus. The formulated hydrogels were then compared with the marketed product in vivo using rabbits. The result indicates that prepared hydrogels have a uniform size with a porous surface. The esomeprazole encapsulation efficiency of the prepared hydrogels was found to be 83.1 ± 2.16%. The esomeprazole-loaded hydrogel formulations showed optimum and Pharmacopeial acceptable range swelling behavior. The release of esomeprazole is controlled for 24 h (85.43 ± 0.32% in 24 h). The swelling and release of drug results make the prepared hydrogels a potential candidate for the controlled delivery of esomeprazole. The release of the drug from prepared hydrogel followed the super case transport-2 mechanism. The in vivo studies showed that prepared hydrogel formulations showed controlled and prolonged release of esomeprazole as compared to drug solution and marketed product. The formulations were kept for stability studies; there was no significant change observed in physical parameters, i.e., (appearance, color change and grittiness) at 40 °C ± 2/75% ± RH. There was a negligible difference in the drug content observed after the stability study suggested that all the formulations are stable under the given conditions for 60 days. The current study provides a valuable perspective on the controlled release profile of Hydroxyl propyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and calcium alginate-based esomeprazole hydrogels. Full article
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