A review: Biomedical applications of phosphorene, antimonene, and germanene-based 2D material/hydrogel complexes

Hydrogels have long been developed for a plethora of applications such as soft electronics, energy storage, the development of actuators, sensors, and, most importantly, biomedical applications. The biomedical applications of hydrogels are the most sought after and highly researched because of the various advantages of hydrogels. Having said that, the practical applications of the hydrogels are still restricted and efforts are being made to introduce other materials that add to the advantages of the hydrogels and impart new and exciting properties to the formed composite. In this regard, 2D materials beyond graphene such as phosphorene, antimonene, and germanene have gained significant attention. These are the newest addition to the existing 2D material family. These materials are highly optically active, which is vital while considering biomedical applications. The biomedical applications include antibacterial activity, chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, wound treatment, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and many more. This review intends to give the readers a brief overview of the trends and advancements in using these beyond graphene 2D material/hydrogel composites for biomedical applications. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].