Recent Advances in Potential Biomedical Applications of MXene-Based Hydrogels

MXene-based hydrogels represent a significant advancement in biomedical material science, leveraging the unique properties of 2D MXenes and the versatile functionality of hydrogels. This review discusses recent developments in the integration of MXenes into hydrogel matrices, focusing on their biomedical applications such as wound healing, drug delivery, antimicrobial activity, tissue engineering, and biosensing. MXenes, due to their remarkable electrical conductivity, mechanical robustness, and tunable surface chemistry, enhance the mechanical properties, conductivity, and responsiveness of hydrogels to environmental stimuli. Specifically, MXene-based hydrogels have shown great promise in accelerating wound healing through photothermal effects, delivering drugs in a controlled manner, and serving as antibacterial agents. Their integration into hydrogels also enables applications in targeted cancer therapies, including photothermal and chemodynamic therapies, facilitated by their high conductivity and tunable properties. Despite the promising progress, challenges such as ensuring biocompatibility and optimizing the synthesis for large-scale production remain. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of MXene-based hydrogels in biomedical applications, highlighting the ongoing advancements and potential future directions for these multifunctional materials.