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Application of Smart Gel Material in Flexible and Wearable Electronic...
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Application of Smart Gel Material in Flexible and Wearable Electronic (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 November 2025 | Viewed by 1759

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Massimo Mariello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
Interests: bioelectronics; biosensors; microfabrication; thin films; implantable devices; nanogenerators; energy harvesting; drug delivery; flexible electronics; hydrogel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mazeyar Parvinzadeh Gashti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Pittsburg State University, 1701 South Broadway Street, Pittsburg, KS 66762, USA
Interests: nanocomposites; fibres; polymers; gels; biopolymers; calcium phosphate; gelatine; electrospun; electrospinning; coatings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue on "Application of Smart Gel Material in Flexible and Wearable Electronic" focuses on developing advanced gel materials for applications in flexible and wearable electronic devices. With the growing demand for flexible and stretchable electronics, smart gel materials have emerged as promising candidates due to their distinctive properties such as flexibility, self-healing capability, and electrical conductivity. This Special Issue aims to explore the recent advancements in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of smart gel materials for flexible and wearable electronics.

This Special Issue discusses the synthesis and fabrication methods of smart gel materials for flexible and wearable electronics. It also discusses the importance of gel materials in enabling the development of lightweight, stretchable, and durable electronic devices that can conform to complex shapes and withstand mechanical deformation. The Special Issue also addresses the challenges and future perspectives in the field, including developing novel gel formulations, enhancing electrical conductivity, and optimizing self-healing capabilities.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide comprehensive insights into the development of smart gel materials for flexible and wearable electronics. The research within this collection contributes to the advancement of electronic devices that can be seamlessly integrated into everyday life, enabling widespread adoption of wearable technologies and expanding the potential applications of flexible electronics.

Dr. Massimo Mariello
Dr. Mazeyar Parvinzadeh Gashti
Guest Editors

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 2100 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

  • smart gel materials
  • flexible electronics
  • wearable electronics
  • gel synthesis
  • material characterization
  • electrical conductivity
  • self-healing capability
  • stretchability
  • sensor technology
  • energy harvesting

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

23 pages, 7634 KiB  
Review
Survey of Sustainable Wearable Strain Sensors Enabled by Biopolymers and Conductive Organic Polymers
by Cephas Amoah and W. G. Skene
Gels 2025, 11(4), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040235 - 24 Mar 2025
Viewed by 500
Abstract
The field of wearable sensors has evolved with operating devices capable of measuring biomechanics and biometrics, and detecting speech. The transduction, being the conversion of the biosignal to a measurable and quantifiable electrical signal, is governed by a conductive organic polymer. Meanwhile, the [...] Read more.
The field of wearable sensors has evolved with operating devices capable of measuring biomechanics and biometrics, and detecting speech. The transduction, being the conversion of the biosignal to a measurable and quantifiable electrical signal, is governed by a conductive organic polymer. Meanwhile, the conformality of skin to the substrate is quintessential. Both the substrate and the conductive polymer must work in concert to reversibly deform with the user’s movements for motion tracking. While polydimethylsiloxane shows mechanical compliance as a sensor substrate, it is of environmental interest to replace it with sustainable and degradable alternatives. As both the bulk of the weight and area of the sensor consist of the substrate, using renewable and biodegradable materials for its preparation would be an important step toward improving the lifecycle of wearable sensors. This review highlights wearable resistive sensors that are prepared from naturally occurring polymers that are both sustainable and biodegradable. Conductive polythiophenes are also presented, as well as how they are integrated into the biopolymer for sensors showing mechanical compliance with skin. This polymer is highlighted because of its structural conformality, conductivity, and processability, ensuring it fulfils the requirements for its use in sensors without adversely affecting the overall sustainability and biodegradability of resistive sensors. Different sustainable resistive sensors are also presented, and their performance is compared to conventional sensors to illustrate the successful integration of the biosourced polymers into sensors without comprising the desired elasticity and sensitivity to movement. The current state-of-the-art in sustainable resistive sensors is presented, along with knowledge of how biopolymers from different fields can be leveraged in the rational design of the next generation of sustainable sensors that can potentially be composted after their use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Smart Gel Material in Flexible and Wearable Electronic (2nd Edition))
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44 pages, 11931 KiB  
Review
Eco-Friendly Conductive Hydrogels: Towards Green Wearable Electronics
by José María Calderón Moreno, Mariana Chelu and Monica Popa
Gels 2025, 11(4), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040220 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1009
Abstract
The rapid advancement of wearable electronics has catalyzed the development of flexible, lightweight, and highly conductive materials. Among these, conductive hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates due to their tissue-like properties, which can minimize the mechanical mismatch between flexible devices and biological tissues [...] Read more.
The rapid advancement of wearable electronics has catalyzed the development of flexible, lightweight, and highly conductive materials. Among these, conductive hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates due to their tissue-like properties, which can minimize the mechanical mismatch between flexible devices and biological tissues and excellent electrical conductivity, stretchability and biocompatibility. However, the environmental impact of synthetic components and production processes in conventional conductive hydrogels poses significant challenges to their sustainable application. This review explores recent advances in eco-friendly conductive hydrogels used in healthcare, focusing on their design, fabrication, and applications in green wearable electronics. Emphasis is placed on the use of natural polymers, bio-based crosslinkers, and green synthesis methods to improve sustainability while maintaining high performance. We discuss the incorporation of conductive polymers and carbon-based nanomaterials into environmentally benign matrices. Additionally, the article highlights strategies for improving the biodegradability, recyclability, and energy efficiency of these materials. By addressing current limitations and future opportunities, this review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of environmentally friendly conductive hydrogels as a basis for the next generation of sustainable wearable technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Smart Gel Material in Flexible and Wearable Electronic (2nd Edition))
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