Table of Content

1. Executive summary and conclusions
1.1 Purpose of this report
1.2 Definitions, needs and context
1.3 The big picture
1.4 Global market for hydrogel-dominated materials and devices: 3 sectors and total $ billion 2024- 2044
1.5 Future hydrogel enabling technology by 6 functional categories $ billion 2024-2044
1.6 Infogram of hydrogel market expansion 2024-2044
1.7 Hydrogel molecular toolkit and trends
1.8 Infogram: hydrogels in the polymer competitive landscape
1.9 Global market for hydrogel, silicone, polyurethane families $ billion
1.10 How hydrogels compete in latest research
1.11 Detailed hydrogel technology choices, examples, trends
1.12 Hydrogel SWOT appraisal
1.13 Regional bias of hydrogel research and use with sales by region 2024-2044
1.14 Hydrogel roadmap 2024-2044 by industry sector
1.15 26 Background forecasts

2. Introduction
2.1 Background
2.1.1 Long history
2.1.2 Many benefits
2.1.3 Market drivers
2.2 Formulations
2.3 Beware of the term gel
2.4 Limitations
2.5 Natural vs synthetic
2.6 23 examples of medical hydrogel applications
2.7 19 examples of hydrogel applications in six sectors beyond medical
2.8 Hydrogel toxigens are an issue
2.9 20 examples of hydrogel research in other areas
2.10 40 Examples of companies commercialising hydrogels

3. How hydrogels will be improved for medical and other purposes 2024-2044
3.1 Overview
3.2 Hydrogel SWOT appraisal – where we are now
3.3 Graphic of hydrogel market expansion across the landscape 2024-2044
3.4 Hydrogel molecular toolkit and trends
3.6 Six families of emerging hydrogel chemistry and functionality
3.7 Future hydrogel enabling technology by six other categories covered in later chapters
3.8 How silicones and polyurethanes will both compete with and combine with hydrogels
3.9 How other emerging materials compete with hydrogels in latest research
3.10 Most promising routes to improvement of hydrogels 2024-2044
3.10.1 Biomimetic, composite and chemistry
3.10.2 Appraisal of important new medical research: wound healing, sensorised and rejuvenated skin, easing Crohn’s disease, restoring vision etc.
3.11 Elastomer Hydrogel Systems EHS
3.11.1 Basics
3.11.2 Directly bonded or interphase
3.11.3 Seven examples of important hydrogel EHS research
3.12 Evolving production technologies for hydrogels including 3D and 4D printing

4. Future hydrogels that cool buildings, solar panels, people, food, other
4.1 Overview
4.2 Infogram: Major new cooling and thermal management needs arrive 2024-2044
4.3 Five infograms: The cooling toolkit and the hydrogel opportunity
4.4 Hydrogel evaporative cooling in general
4.4.1 Ambitions, limitations
4.4.2 Hydrogel open evaporative cooling
4.5 Future hydrogel technologies cooling of 6G microelectronics and solar panels
4.5.1 Hydrogel-silica aerogel
4.5.2 Thermogalvanic hydrogel for synchronous evaporative cooling
4.6 Hydrogel cooling of solar panels including gathering useful water
4.7 Imaginative new hydrogels in architectural cooling
4.7.1 Hydroceramic hydrogel cooling architectural structure
4.7.2 Hydrogel windows to block and store heat
4.8 Aerogel and hydrogel together cool pharmaceuticals and food
4.9 Self-cooling smart actuator for soft robotics
4.10 Other emerging cooling hydrogels for food, apparel, next microchips, power electronics, data centers, large batteries, cell towers and buildings

5. Future self-healing hydrogels
5.1 Definitions and focus
5.2 Self-healing basics
5.2.1 Self- healing material market drivers
5.2.2 Intrinsic or extrinsic self-healing and value chain
5.2.3 Types of damage to people and things that are addressed
5.2.4 The dilemma of metrics
5.3 Importance of self-healing hydrogels in engineering and healthcare
5.4 SWOT appraisal of self-healing materials in 2024
5.5 Technology options for self-healing hydrogels
5.5.1 Overview
5.5.2 Physical self-healing in hydrogels
5.5.3 Chemical self-healing in hydrogels
5.6 Hydrogel competitive place against alternatives in actual and potential self-healing applications
5.7 Important examples in the research pipeline for 2024-2044
5.7.1 Anti-fouling, water-oil separation, liquid transportation
5.7.2 Bone regeneration
5.7.3 Drug-delivery and cancer therapy injectable hydrogels
5.7.4 Electrical conductors for electronics and medical purposes
5.7.5 Remote near-infrared-responsive controls
5.7.6 Self-lubricating water-based polymeric systems
5.7.7 Sensing
5.7.8 Solid state electrolytes
5.7.9 Spinal cord implants for treating paralysis
5.7.10 Soft robotics, smart prosthetics, bioelectronics, cartilage
5.7.11 Stretchable hydrogels for protein delivery etc.
5.7.12 Tissue engineering
5.7.13 Triboelectric nanogenerators

6. Future hydrogel membranes and film: ion-exchange, gas separation, other
6.1 Overview
6.2 Membrane difficulty levels and needs for self-healing
6.3 Self-healing membrane chemistry in recent studies
6.4 Basics
6.5 Architectural and acoustic membranes
6.6 Battery, supercapacitor, fuel cell separators and electrolyte membrane
6.7 Electronic skin, e-skin for humans and robots
6.7.1 Overview
6.7.2 Hydrogel e-skin
6.8 Gas separation
6.8.1 Carbon dioxide
6.8.2 General
6.9 Ionic conductors
6.10 Ultrafiltration membrane

7. Future hydrogel flexible electronics, sensors and solid-state energy storage
7.1 Overview
7.1.1 Motivation
7.1.2 Chosen chemical routes: carbon, polymer, biopolymer, biomass
7.1.3 Biopolymer hydrogel routes
7.2 Flexible and solid-state energy storage examples
7.2.1 Zinc-air battery electrolyte
7.2.2 Supercapacitors, fuel cells and water electrolysers
7.2.3 Biopolymer-based hydrogel electrolytes
7.2.4 Supercapacitors
7.3 Magneto-responsive hydrogels for biotechnological and environmental applications
7.4 Sensor and sensing
7.5 Transistors
7.6 Thermal hydrogels for electronics

8. Future hydrogel Engineered Living Materials ELM
8.1 Overview
8.1.1 Engineered Living Materials ELM
8.1.2 ELM hype curve 2024-2044
8.1.3 Infogram: Some features of engineered living materials
8.1.4 Engineered Living Material SWOT appraisal
8.1.5 Engineered Living Hydrogels ELH and their competition
8.2 Learning from nature
8.3 Typical features and materials
8.4 Taxonomy
8.5 Obstacles and the way forward
8.5.1 Obstacles
8.5.2 Bio ELM vs hybrid ELM
8.5.3 Examples of specific approaches
8.6 Examples of living material in ELM research
8.6.1 Funghi - mycelial materials
8.6.2 Bacterial
8.6.3 Further reading

9. Future hydrogel water management: agriculture; waterproofing, anti-fouling, bioseparation
9.1 Overview
9.2 Contaminants of water targetted with magnetic hydrogels
9.3 Rubber-based adsorption hydrogels removing contaminants
9.4 Smart hydrogels for bioseparation of proteins
9.5 Hydrogels and alternatives extracting useful water from the air
9.5.1 Metal oxide frameworks competing with hydrogels
9.5.2 Water harvesting even while warming
9.6 Precious metal recovery with reusable hydrogel
9.7 Marine recovery: coral reefs
9.8 Measuring and controlling agricultural runoff pollution
9.9 Marine anti-fouling film and paint
9.10 Agricultural soil conditioning and irrigation
9.10.1 Overview
9.10.2 Alsta Hydrogel India
9.10.3 Gelponics project: AEH Innovative Hydrogel, CHAP Solutions, Growbotic Systems UK

10. Future hydrogel materials in building and construction
10.1 Overview
10.2 Concrete and other cementitious materials
10.2.1 Inducing hydrogel in concrete
10.2.2 Aquron and Markham New Zealand
10.2.3 Hydrogel Concrete Solutions Australia
10.2.4 Intelligent Concrete USA
10.2.5 Polyacrylic hydrogel in cement composites
10.2.6 Hydrogels containing nanosilica enhance cement pastes
10.2.7 Improved concrete using hydrogel-based internal curing agents
10.3 Other