ABSTRACT
Amongst biomaterials, hydrogels are inimitable as they exhibit self-sustaining, multidimensional viscoelastic polymeric networks that may impersonate tissue environments and also allow the movement of cells. Owing to their biocompatibility and the resemblance of their physical properties to normal tissues, hydrogels in recent times have drawn immense attention of various researchers for biomedical purposes. In this chapter, classification, methods of preparation, and characterisation of hydrogels are discussed briefly, followed by their status as patents and applications in tissue engineering
