Eco-friendly and biodegradable cellulose hydrogels

Cellulose-based hydrogels have been rapidly developed because of their advantages in high mechanical strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and eco-friendliness. The native cellulose cannot be directly used for hydrogel preparation due to the noncovalent forces, and thus, effective dissolution systems have been developed for the uniform dispersion of cellulose. Moreover, the chemical modification can also improve the uniform dispersion of cellulose in conventional solvents. This chapter focuses on the preparation and degradation of cellulose-based hydrogel and is partially based on the dissolution and modification of cellulose. Moreover, the present chapter classified cellulose-based hydrogels by the feedstocks, including the hydrogel prepared from native cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose nanocrystals, and cellulose nanofibers.