DNA hydrogels are crosslinked polymeric networks in which DNA is used as the backbone or the crosslinker. These hydrogels are novel biofunctional materials that possess the biological character of DNA and the framed structure of hydrogels. Compared with other kinds of hydrogels, DNA hydrogels exhibit not only high mechanical strength and controllable morphologies but also good recognition ability, designable responsiveness, and programmability. The DNA used in this type of hydrogel acts as a building block for self-assembly or as a responsive element due to its sequence recognition ability and switchable structural transitions, respectively. In this review, we describe recent developments in the field of DNA hydrogels and discuss the role played by DNA in these hydrogels. Various synthetic strategies for and a range of applications of DNA hydrogels are detailed.

DNA水凝胶是交联的聚合物网络，其中DNA被用作主链或交联剂。这些水凝胶是新型的生物功能材料，具有DNA的生物学特性和水凝胶的框架结构。与其他种类的水凝胶相比，DNA水凝胶不仅具有较高的机械强度和可控的形态，而且具有良好的识别能力，可设计的响应能力和可编程性。由于其序列识别能力和可转换的结构转变，用于这种类型的水凝胶的DNA分别用作自组装或响应元件的构件。在这篇综述中，我们描述了DNA水凝胶领域的最新发展，并讨论了DNA在这些水凝胶中的作用。