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Preparation and Biomedical Applications of Spherical Cellulose Hydrogels: A Mini-Review
Kaiqing Yang1,2, Juping Zheng1, Shiquan Shen2
1Research Center of Molecular Medicine of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Spherical cellulose hydrogels (SCHs), derived from renewable cellulose, show promise in biomedical uses. Fabrication methods influence SCH properties for applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Cellulose is Earth's most abundant natural polymer, offering renewability, biocompatibility, and modifiability.
- Spherical cellulose hydrogels (SCHs) are versatile micro- to millimeter-scale materials with a hydrophilic 3D network, high surface area, and mechanical stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review bottom-up fabrication strategies for SCHs.
- To discuss advancements in SCH applications in key biomedical domains.
- To identify challenges and future directions for cellulose-based biomaterials.
Main Methods:
- Overview of SCH fabrication techniques: dripping, spraying, emulsion, and microfluidics.
- Analysis of how fabrication processes control SCH size, morphology, and structure.
- Review of recent literature on SCH applications in chromatography, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing.
Main Results:
- Fabrication methods significantly impact SCH characteristics, enabling tailored material properties.
- SCHs demonstrate significant potential in chromatographic separation, controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds, and wound healing applications.
- The review synthesizes current knowledge on SCHs for biomedical applications.
Conclusions:
- SCHs are promising high-performance biomaterials due to their unique properties and fabrication versatility.
- Further research is needed to overcome current challenges and fully realize the potential of SCHs in advanced biomedical applications.
- This review provides a reference for developing and applying advanced cellulose-based biomaterials.
