Advances in chitosan-based superabsorbent hydrogels

Abstract

Superabsorbent hydrogels (SHs) have been used in many fields in recent years. Also chitosan-based superabsorbent hydrogels have attracted great attention because of the excellent properties of chitosan such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and antibacterial properties. This review focuses on the recent progress in chitosan-based superabsorbent hydrogels, providing a brief overview of the preparation approaches, the effects of preparation conditions on the structures and water absorbency performance, chitosan-based composite hydrogels comprised of inorganic fillers, other natural polymers as well as their derivatives, and promising applications for biomedical and personal hygiene, agriculture and water treatment.