Perspectives on: Strategies to Fabricate Starch-based Hydrogels with Potential Biomedical Applications

In this review, some strategies to fabricate starch-based hydrogels are summarized and presented. Hydrophilic hydrogels based on native starch, pure starch components and their derivatives are important due to their swellability in water, biocompatibility and biodegradability. For the preparation of chemically cross-linked starch-based hydrogels, one-step and two-step synthesis by free radical polymerization, cross-linking by chemical reaction of complementary groups and radiation-induced polymerization with the help of gamma or electron beams, are used. For the preparation of physically cross-linked starch-based hydrogels, a novel self-assembly method was used. Some advantages and disadvantages of these synthesis approaches are briefly discussed.