Investigating the mechanical properties of hydrogel nanocomposite with lignin nanoparticles: A short review

Bio-renewable polymers from natural resources have attracted greater attention in the research for different applications. Nanocomposite hydrogels are the combination of known components that are hydrogel and nanometer-sized fillers, typically leading to improved mechanical properties or new functionalities. The elaborate design and investigation as well as suitable application of nanocomposite hydrogels require the synergy of mechanics, materials science, engineering, and biology. In this work, renewable lignin nanoparticles (LNP) were employed as cross-linking junctions to prepare high mechanical properties hydrogel, polyacrylamide/lignin nanoparticle (PAM/LNP) nanocomposite hydrogel. The hydrogel exhibits high compressive and tensile strengths as well as excellent recoverability.