Emerging Trends in Chitin-Based Hydrogels: From Fundamental Properties to Advanced Applications

Chitin-based hydrogels have emerged as a versatile and sustainable material with significant potential in biomedical, environmental, and energy applications. Derived from the abundant biopolymer chitin, these hydrogels exhibit exceptional biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable physicochemical properties. This review highlights advances in chitin-based hydrogels, focusing on solvent systems, crosslinking strategies, and structural modifications to enhance mechanical strength, swelling, and stimuli responsiveness. Key applications include wound healing, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and environmental remediation, where their high-water retention, enzymatic degradability, and eco-friendly nature are particularly advantageous. Furthermore, innovations such as nanoparticle incorporation and chemical derivatization (e.g., carboxymethylation, hydroxypropylation) have expanded their utility in energy devices and smart sensors. Despite these advances, challenges remain in optimizing the energy efficiency of production methods for industrial scalability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of chitin-based hydrogels, offering insights into future directions for research and development in this promising field.