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Gels
Special Issues
Soft Materials with a Focus on Hydrogels
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Soft Materials with a Focus on Hydrogels

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2023) | Viewed by 3950

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bowen Yao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: conductive hydrogels; soft materials; bioelectronics; brain–computer interface

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Issue covers a variety of research topics related to hydrogels, including their synthesis, characterization, properties, and their use in advanced applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, bioelectronics and soft robotics. While significant progress has been made in the development of hydrogels over the years, several challenges remain due to their high complexities in molecular interactions. These pressing issues range from preparation, processing, and characterization to practical application. For example, there is a lack of control over their mechanical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as biocompatibility and stability, which are determined by various factors such as their chemical composition, crosslinking density, and micro- and nanostructures. Designing hydrogels with specific mechanical properties requires a deep understanding of the underlying chemistry and physics of hydrogel formation.

As it is impossible to cover all aspects of hydrogel in one issue, this Special Issue will contain only a few representative examples, illustrating the complexities of the hydrogel problem. We hope that these topics will provide researchers with valuable insights into gel analysis and new ideas for the development of innovative hydrogel-based materials and technologies.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bowen Yao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogels
  • intelligent materials
  • biomaterials
  • implantable devices
  • drug delivery
  • tissue engineering
  • soft robotics
  • environmental remediation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4423 KiB  
Article
Development of 3D Printed pNIPAM-Chitosan Scaffolds for Dentoalveolar Tissue Engineering
by Mehdi Salar Amoli, Resmi Anand, Mostafa EzEldeen, Liesbet Geris, Reinhilde Jacobs and Veerle Bloemen
Gels 2024, 10(2), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10020140 - 12 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
While available treatments have addressed a variety of complications in the dentoalveolar region, associated challenges have resulted in exploration of tissue engineering techniques. Often, scaffold biomaterials with specific properties are required for such strategies to be successful, development of which is an active [...] Read more.
While available treatments have addressed a variety of complications in the dentoalveolar region, associated challenges have resulted in exploration of tissue engineering techniques. Often, scaffold biomaterials with specific properties are required for such strategies to be successful, development of which is an active area of research. This study focuses on the development of a copolymer of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) and chitosan, used for 3D printing of scaffolds for dentoalveolar regeneration. The synthesized material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the possibility of printing was evaluated through various printability tests. The rate of degradation and swelling was analyzed through gravimetry, and surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Viability of dental pulp stem cells seeded on the scaffolds was evaluated by live/dead analysis and DNA quantification. The results demonstrated successful copolymerization, and three formulations among various synthesized formulations were successfully 3D printed. Up to 35% degradability was confirmed within 7 days, and a maximum swelling of approximately 1200% was achieved. Furthermore, initial assessment of cell viability demonstrated biocompatibility of the developed scaffolds. While further studies are required to achieve the tissue engineering goals, the present results tend to indicate that the proposed hydrogel might be a valid candidate for scaffold fabrication serving dentoalveolar tissue engineering through 3D printing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Materials with a Focus on Hydrogels)
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25 pages, 5226 KiB  
Article
Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Hydrogels Boosted with Cross-Linked Chitosan and Silver Nanoparticles for Efficient Adsorption of Congo Red and Crystal Violet Dyes
by Reem T. Alfuraydi, Nouf F. Al-Harby, Fahad M. Alminderej, Noura Y. Elmehbad and Nadia A. Mohamed
Gels 2023, 9(11), 882; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9110882 - 7 Nov 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1235
Abstract
In our previous work, three different weight ratios of chitosan/PVA (1:3, 1:1, and 3:1) were blended and then cross-linked with trimellitic anhydride isothiocyanate (TAI) at a concentration depending on their chitosan content, obtaining three hydrogels symbolized by H13, H11, [...] Read more.
In our previous work, three different weight ratios of chitosan/PVA (1:3, 1:1, and 3:1) were blended and then cross-linked with trimellitic anhydride isothiocyanate (TAI) at a concentration depending on their chitosan content, obtaining three hydrogels symbolized by H13, H11, and H31. Pure chitosan was cross-linked with TAI, producing a hydrogel symbolized by H10. Further, three H31-based silver nanoparticles composites (H31/AgNPs1%, H31/AgNPs3%, and H31/AgNPs5%) were also synthesized. They were investigated, for the first time in this study, as adsorbents for Congo Red (CR) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes. The removal efficiency of CR dye increased with increasing H10 content in the hydrogels, and with increasing AgNP content in the composites, reaching 99.91% for H31/AgNPs5%. For CV dye, the removal efficiency increased with the increase in the PVA content. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of CV dye increased with an increasing AgNP content, reaching 94.7% for H31/AgNPs5%. The adsorption capacity increased with the increase in both the initial dye concentration and temperature, while with an increasing pH it increased in the case of CV dye and decreased in the case of CR dye. The adsorption of CV dye demonstrated that the Freundlich isotherm model is better suited for the experimental results. Moreover, the results were best fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Materials with a Focus on Hydrogels)
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19 pages, 10946 KiB  
Article
pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Bilayers: Investigation on Transient Swelling-Induced Bending through Analytical and FEM Approaches
by Mahdi Askari-Sedeh and Mostafa Baghani
Gels 2023, 9(7), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9070563 - 10 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1124
Abstract
pH-responsive hydrogels are recognized as versatile sensors and actuators due to their unique time-dependent properties. Specifically, pH-sensitive hydrogel-based bilayers exhibit remarkable bending capabilities when exposed to pH-triggered swelling. This study introduces a semi-analytical technique that combines non-linear solid mechanics with ionic species transport [...] Read more.
pH-responsive hydrogels are recognized as versatile sensors and actuators due to their unique time-dependent properties. Specifically, pH-sensitive hydrogel-based bilayers exhibit remarkable bending capabilities when exposed to pH-triggered swelling. This study introduces a semi-analytical technique that combines non-linear solid mechanics with ionic species transport to investigate the bending behavior of such bilayers. The technique is validated through numerical simulations, exploring the influence of kinetic and geometric properties on bilayer behavior. The results highlight the significance of the interfacial region, particularly in configurations with lower hydrogel geometric ratios, which are susceptible to rupture. The study also uncovers the benefits of a lower hydrogel layer ratio in improving the swelling rate and final deflection, with a stronger effect observed in the presence of a buffer solution. Additionally, the compressibility of the elastomer contributes to the durability of the final bent shape. These findings enhance our understanding of pH-sensitive hydrogel-based bilayers and offer valuable insights for their design and optimization in diverse applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Materials with a Focus on Hydrogels)
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