Hydrogels comprising crosslinked polymers containing biomass derived materials

A hydrogel composition comprising:

• (a) water and
• (b) a crosslinked polymer prepared by a process comprising contacting a crosslinking agent with a substrate polymer to form a crosslinked polymer;
• wherein the crosslinking agent has Formula VI, VII or VIII:
• wherein L and L′ independently contain a suitable functional group, and n=1-6, m=0-4, and p=1-4;
• and the substrate polymer comprises:
• A) a linear, branched or cyclic polymeric backbone comprising repeat units that comprise one or more of hydrocarbylene groups, heteroatoms, and carbonyl carbon groups;
• wherein the hydrocarbylene are aliphatic or aromatic, linear, branched, or cyclic, or combinations thereof;
• and wherein the hydrocarbylene groups and heteroatoms of the repeat units are optionally substituted with substituents that comprise one or more of C1-C30 hydrocarbylene groups, heteroatoms, and carbonyl carbon groups, wherein the hydrocarbylene groups of the substituents are aliphatic or aromatic, linear, branched, or cyclic, or combinations thereof;
• and
• B) reactive pendant groups attached to the polymeric backbone, the pendant groups being of the formula -G or —R-G,
• wherein G is a nucleophile or electrophile;
• wherein R is independently linear, cyclic, or branched alkylene, arylene, or alkarylene groups of 1-22 carbon atoms, optionally substituted with alkyl, aryl, hydroxy, amino, carbonyl, ester, amide, alkoxy, nitrile or halogen, and optionally containing —O—, —Si(ZZ′)O—, —(C═O)— or —NZ— linkages, where Z and Z′ are independently hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkaryl, substituted alkaryl, aryl, or substituted aryl.