Sensing materials: hydrogels

The changes of today’s world require multiple innovations in various technological fields, including sensors. Because of this, in the last two decades new, soft sensors based on hydrogels formulations emerged, and they have been employed in several applications. Hydrogels are, in fact, incredible biomaterials, extremely hydrophilic, biocompatible, and highly swellable with a polymeric framework able to convert chemical energy to mechanical one with the ability to respond to external stimuli. These features have ensured them great recognition in the fields of sensors and diagnostics, and in this work, we will give an overview of the main developments taking place in this field.