Hydrogels

If left untreated, chronic wounds such as diabetic skin ulcers can become infected, ultimately leading to amputations or even death. A new "smart" bandage is designed to help keep that from happening, by both watching and treating such injuries.

Overactive bladder syndrome can interfere with a person’s daily activities and affect their mental health. A new hydrogel-based sensor can continuously monitor overactive bladders and potentially improve the treatment of the condition.

In order to reach their full potential, soft robotic devices can't just consist of rigid electronic components encased in squishy rubber. A new material could help in that regard, as it's soft, self-healing and electrically conductive.

Unlike the tissue in other parts of the body, such as the skin, the neuronal tissue in the brain doesn't regenerate after being damaged. It may one day be able to do so, however, with a little help from a new type of hydrogel.

If there's one thing that the past few years have made us of aware of, it's the danger of respiratory viruses. An inhalable powder may one day help temporarily protect against them, by working with the natural layer of mucus in users' lungs.

Although we've seen a number of systems that use sunlight to purify tainted water, their output is often quite limited. A new loofah-inspired hydrogel, however, uses sunlight to treat much more water in one go … enough to meet a person's daily needs.

After someone has suffered a heart attack, their body replaces the damaged heart muscle tissue with non-beating scar tissue, compromising the heart's function. A new injectable biomaterial, however, may help the heart heal better.

It's always good if the use of antibiotics can be avoided, to keep harmful bacteria from developing a resistance to them. A new wound-treatment spray could help, as it kills bacteria using peptides that occur naturally in our bodies.

As is the case with so many other things, the sooner that Alzheimer's disease is detected, the more that can be done to slow its progress. An experimental implantable lens could help, by changing in appearance at the early stages of the illness.

Controlling bleeding is one of the most important life-saving measures battlefield medics can take. However, this can be a significant challenge outside of a medical facility. A new injectable heat-activated hydrogel may offer a way forward.

Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed a novel gel sheet material with excellent absorption abilities, which they imagine finding use everywhere from messy kitchens to operating theaters.

Researchers at the University of Kent have developed a protein-based family of synthetic materials that can withstand supersonic impacts. Called TSAMs, they see these materials one day finding use in military and space applications.