Temperature/pH Dual-Responsive Hydrogels: Research Progress in Preparation Methods, Structural Design Strategies and Biomedical Applications

Temperature/pH dual-responsive hydrogels are a class of smart materials capable of undergoing reversible structural or functional changes in response to temperature and pH stimuli. Owing to their remarkable dual-stimuli-responsive characteristics, these hydrogels have demonstrated significant potential in various biomedical applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and diagnostics technologies, making them a prominent research focus. Although considerable progress has been made in recent years, a systematic summary of the preparation methods, structural design strategies and complex biomedical applications of these materials remains conspicuously absent. Consequently, this review aims to comprehensively examine the latest advancements in this field. First, the primary preparation methods of temperature/pH dual-responsive hydrogels, including chemical crosslinking, physical crosslinking, and hybrid crosslinking, are introduced and compared. Subsequently, the main structural design strategies, including microsphere, core-shell and layered structures, and their corresponding fabrication processes are systematically elucidated. Finally, the recent progress of temperature/pH dual-responsive hydrogels in biomedical applications is discussed, including drug delivery, cancer therapy, biosensing and diagnosis, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as wound healing. Based on the current research progress, this review also outlines the major challenges in the development of temperature/pH dual-responsive hydrogels, and presents perspectives on future research directions.