High hopes for hydrogels

A gel is a colloidal suspension of a solid dispersed in a liquid. In the case of hydrogels, that liquid is water. ‘Hydrogels seem solid but they consist mainly of water, more than 99% in some cases,’ says Neil Cameron, professor of polymer materials at Monash University, Australia. ‘The water is solidified by molecules that form a 3D network throughout the gel.’ One of the most recognisable examples of a hydrogel, at least for anyone who’s ever been to a children’s birthday party, is jelly.