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. 2022 Apr 21;23(9):4578. doi: 10.3390/ijms23094578

Table 2.

Advantages and disadvantages of physical cross-linking and chemical cross-linking technology.

Types of Cross-Linking Advantages Disadvantages Refs
Physical cross-linking
(Non-permanent)
  • (1)

    The synthesis principle is a physical action, which is relatively simple;

  • (2)

    No need to use toxic cross-linking agents;

  • (3)

    The method can be improved according to the actual situation to improve the properties of the hydrogel.

  • (1)

    The resulting hydrogels generally have poor mechanical properties;

  • (2)

    There may be uneven swelling distribution;

  • (3)

    The number of components that can be cross-linked is limited

[1,76,77,78]
Chemical cross-linking
(Permanent)
  • (1)

    The resulting hydrogels are generally structurally stable and have good mechanical properties;

  • (2)

    Unlimited number of components that can be cross-linked;

  • (3)

    It has substrate specificity, keeps effective reactions continuous, and avoids ineffective reactions;

  • (4)

    “Click chemistry” has high efficiency, stability, high specificity, and high control, and it meets molecular diversity requirements.

  • (1)

    Toxic crosslinking agents are required in the chemical cross-linking process;

  • (2)

    There may be uneven swelling distribution;

  • (3)

    Chemical cross-linking is not all controllable.

[1,78,79,80,81]