Applications of graphene-based composite hydrogels: a review

Graphene-based hydrogels, which utilize graphene as a filler to blend with various molecules, have fully exploited the addition of graphene and exhibited more prominent performances in energy storage, wastewater treatment, biosensor and technology, and biomedicine compared with traditional hydrogels. Herein, recent progress in graphene-based composite hydrogels has been reviewed and the whole article simply introduces the preparation methods of the different types of hydrogels. Besides, various areas of applications of the graphene-based hydrogels are revealed emphatically such as adsorbents for purification, adsorbents to specific dyestuffs, and biosensors with high energy density etc. Moreover, several urgent issues, which still limit the further developments of the graphene-based hydrogels are expressed in the review as well. Finally, it is achievable to introduce novel functional materials into graphene-based hydrogels with enhanced properties in various fields through the existing and newly-developed techniques.