Advances in Multifunctional Hydrogel, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

As an important soft material, polymeric hydrogels consist of three-dimensional networks with a large amount of water. Over the past 20 years, hydrogels have been extensively explored from both fundamental and application aspects due to their unique combination of solid and liquid properties. A large number of novel hydrogels have been developed with multiple functions, such as thermo-sensitivity, photo-sensitivity, self-healing, anti-fouling, strain-sensitivity, 3D-printing, etc. Hydrogels with these multifunctions have demonstrated diverse applications, such as biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, flexible electronic devices, and soft robotics.

Although significant progress has been achieved, multifunctional hydrogel is still a vital topic for researchers from all over the world. The increasing interest in multifunctional hydrogels may be due to their design and preparation, which often aims to obtain new functions or to improve the quality of existing functions. The raw materials of these hydrogels can be natural or synthetic polymers. To understand the functions of these hydrogels, a structure–property relationship can also be included. A biomimetic strategy can be adopted to develop multifunctional hydrogels.

This Special Issue entitled Advances in Multifunctional Hydrogel is devoted to the dissemination of high-quality original research articles or comprehensive reviews on cutting-edge developments in this interdisciplinary field. 

Dr. Yiwan Huang
Dr. Ping Rao
Guest Editors

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