POS8-0353
Fabrication of Copper Nanoparticle-Loaded Multifunctional Hydrogels with Tunable Adhesion and Antibacterial Activity via Repeated Swelling–Deswelling Cycles
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Seoyoon Kwon (Sookmyung Women's University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Hydrogels have attracted considerable attention as wound dressing materials owing to their moisture retention, transparency, and biocompatibility. However, conventional hydrogel dressings often suffer from insufficient adhesion and limited antimicrobial functionality, restricting their practical applications. Therefore, developing multifunctional hydrogel systems that simultaneously provide tissue adhesion, antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility remains an important challenge.
Herein, we present an efficient strategy for fabricating multifunctional hydrogels based on repeated swelling-deswelling cycles without complex processing steps. Maintaining a high swelling ratio of 12.5 throughout multiple cycles, the hydrogel facilitates sequential incorporation of multiple functional agents while preserving structural stability. Consequently, copper nanoparticles and glycerol are successfully incorporated into the hydrogel matrix, enhancing adhesion and antibacterial activity.
The resulting hydrogel exhibits excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, as confirmed by the colony formation assay. In addition, adhesion is significantly improved by adjusting the glycerol–water solvent ratio, yielding more than a 4-fold increase in adhesion strength compared with the hydrogel containing only glycerol. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrates favorable cytocompatibility in the NIH/3T3 fibroblast viability assay, confirming its suitability for skin contact applications. These results illustrate that the proposed strategy provides a simple and effective route for fabricating multifunctional hydrogels with antibacterial activity, strong adhesion, moisture retention, and biocompatibility. The developed hydrogel shows strong potential as a next-generation wound dressing platform and bio-interface material.
Herein, we present an efficient strategy for fabricating multifunctional hydrogels based on repeated swelling-deswelling cycles without complex processing steps. Maintaining a high swelling ratio of 12.5 throughout multiple cycles, the hydrogel facilitates sequential incorporation of multiple functional agents while preserving structural stability. Consequently, copper nanoparticles and glycerol are successfully incorporated into the hydrogel matrix, enhancing adhesion and antibacterial activity.
The resulting hydrogel exhibits excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, as confirmed by the colony formation assay. In addition, adhesion is significantly improved by adjusting the glycerol–water solvent ratio, yielding more than a 4-fold increase in adhesion strength compared with the hydrogel containing only glycerol. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrates favorable cytocompatibility in the NIH/3T3 fibroblast viability assay, confirming its suitability for skin contact applications. These results illustrate that the proposed strategy provides a simple and effective route for fabricating multifunctional hydrogels with antibacterial activity, strong adhesion, moisture retention, and biocompatibility. The developed hydrogel shows strong potential as a next-generation wound dressing platform and bio-interface material.
