This book is concerned with polymeric hydrogels, which are considered as one of the most promising types of new polymer-based materials. Each chapter in this book describes a selected class of polymeric hydrogels, such as superabsorbent hybrid nanohydrogels, conducting polymer hydrogels, polysaccharide-based or protein-based hydrogels, or gels based on synthetic polymers. In this way, the book also addresses some of the fascinating properties and applications of polymeric hydrogels: they are three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks that can absorb, swell and retain large quantities of water or aqueous fluids. In combination with metal nanoparticles, nanofibrils or nanowhiskers, which may be embedded in the gels, they find widespread applications, ranging from agriculture, and waste water treatment, over electronics, to pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Applications mentioned in this book include electro sensors, capacitors, electromechanical actuators, and even artificial muscles.

Susheel Kalia is Associate Professor & Head of the Department of Chemistry at Army Cadet College Wing of the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. He was visiting researcher in the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering at University of Bologna, Italy, in 2013, and held a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Bahra University, Solan, India until 2015. His research interests include polymeric composites, bio- and nanocomposites, conducting polymers, nanofibers, nanoparticles, hybrid materials, hydrogels, and cryogenics, and are documented in more than 65 research papers in international journals, over 80 conference contributions (incl. numerous invited contributions) and several book chapters. Kalia is an experienced book editor, and he has edited a number of successful books (with Springer), such as "Cellulose Fibers: Bio- and Nano-Polymer Composites", "Polymers at Cryogenic Temperatures", or "Polysaccharide Based Graft Copolymers". Kalia is the main editor of the "Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials". In addition he is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Asian Polymer Association, Indian Cryogenics Council, the Society for Polymer Science, Indian Society of Analytical Scientists, and the International Association of Advanced Materials.