Modeling and Simulations of Multicomponent Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Modeling and simulations of multicomponent hydrogels require a multiscale approach and improvements in resolution and accuracy come at the expense of computational time. In this chapter, a review is provided on the main classes of multicomponent hydrogels from the perspective of macroscopic and nanoscopic modeling approaches. First, modeling of biomaterials on different scales is discussed. Then the most common macroscopic continuum models and nanoscopic coarse-grained models are analyzed in detail, with specific examples from approaches based on polymer–polymer, polymer–protein, polymer–inclusion and polymer–void double networks. Finally, scaling approaches are briefly discussed.