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Du et al. Soft Sci 2024;4:35 Soft Science
DOI: 10.20517/ss.2024.31

Review Article Open Access

Stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators for skin

therapeutics and beyond

1,*
1
2
1
Ningjie Du , Yunlong Fan , Hao Huang , Yixin Guan , Kewang Nan 2,*
1
College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
2
College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
* Correspondence to: Prof. Yixin Guan, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang
Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China. E-mail: guanyx@zju.edu.cn; Prof. Kewang Nan, College of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China. E-mail:
knan@zju.edu.cn
How to cite this article: Du N, Fan Y, Huang H, Guan Y, Nan K. Stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators for skin therapeutics and
beyond. Soft Sci 2024;4:35. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2024.31

Received: 30 Jul 2024 First Decision: 12 Sep 2024 Revised: 25 Sep 2024 Accepted: 14 Oct 2024 Published: 17 Oct 2024

Academic Editor: Seung Hwan Ko Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are innovative soft materials that have garnered significant attention in recent years.
These hydrogels can undergo phase transitions or structural changes in response to external stimuli, offering
considerable potential for use as actuators. They can effectively be used for drug delivery and disease treatment by
responding flexibly to a variety of stimuli. This paper first categorizes the types of external stimuli that hydrogel
actuators respond to and outlines their applications in skin therapeutics. It then reviews therapeutic potentials of
hydrogel actuators beyond the skin, and discusses the challenges and future prospects for the development of
stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators.

Keywords: Hydrogel actuators, stimuli-responsive hydrogels, wearable hydrogels, drug delivery

INTRODUCTION
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are intelligent soft materials that proactively react to various external
environmental stimuli, such as temperature, light, pH, electricity, and magnetic fields . Under these stimuli,
[1]
hydrogels can exhibit reversible or irreversible behaviors such as expansion, contraction, and deformation,
creating internal stress that drives their conversion . Additionally, hydrogels possess flexibility, high water
[2]

© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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