Bioactive Hydrogel Patches: Polymer Network Design, Fabrication, Functional Regulation, and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Bioactive hydrogel patches (HPs) are rapidly evolving from passive wound dressings into intelligent, multifunctional therapeutic platforms that integrate materials science, nanotechnology, bioengineering, and translational medicine. This review systematically examines material design and polymer network engineering, fabrication strategies, functional regulation, and biomedical applications of HPs. We first discuss how rational polymer network engineering—through tailored polymer chemistry, crosslinking mechanisms, and hierarchical structuring—governs mechanical compliance, adhesion, permeability, bioactivity, and the spatiotemporal presentation of biochemical cues in both natural and synthetic polymer systems. Advanced construction approaches, such as 3D printing, electrospinning, microfluidics, template‐assisted synthesis, and spray‐based deposition, are highlighted for enabling architectural precision and multifunctional integration of HPs. We further emphasize the strategic incorporation of bioactive, conductive, nanostructured, and stimuli‐responsive fillers to transform HPs from passive barriers into smart therapeutic platforms capable of modulating cellular behavior, immune responses, and microenvironmental dynamics. Representative applications in wound healing, organ regeneration, antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory therapy, biosensing, wearable biodevices, and disease treatment are critically discussed. Finally, current bottlenecks in scalable manufacturing, long‐term biosafety, multifunctional integration, closed‐loop therapeutic regulation, and clinical translation are summarized, and future research directions toward adaptive, personalized, and precision‐engineered HP systems are proposed.