Research progress on hydrogel materials and their antifouling properties

Hydrogel has good hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, stimuli responsiveness, and functionality, which make it show great potential in the marine antifouling application, the fields of tissue engineering, information engineering, and bioengineering. It has received extensive attention since its birth. This review aims to provide guidelines for the functional design and efficient fabrication of hydrogel materials. Firstly, the types and preparation methods of hydrogel materials are introduced in detail. Then, the functional properties of the hydrogels and their influencing factors are described. Finally, we summarize the application of hydrogel materials in the marine antifouling field and look forward to the future development direction of hydrogel materials.