Smart Gel Materials: Surface Engineering and Bio-Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2026 | Viewed by 127
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hydrogels; colloids and interfaces; 3D printing; surface forces
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Smart gel materials have been widely used in applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, biosensing, wound healing, and regenerative medicine. These materials generally exhibit stimuli-responsive properties and good biocompatibility and play an increasingly critical role in advancing biomedical technologies. The surface engineering of smart gels is essential to regulate their interfacial properties, improve bio-compatibility, and enhance interactions with biological systems, thus expanding their bio-application scope. Recent research on smart gel surface modification, functionalization strategies, and bio-application mechanisms has gained growing attention across materials science, biomedicine, and engineering. Emerging technologies such as surface grafting, plasma treatment, and nano-composite modification have been developed to optimize gel surface properties, while challenges remain in achieving long-term stability, precise responsiveness, and large-scale clinical translation.
This Special Issue aims to collect the latest research advances in smart gel surface engineering and bio-applications, including novel modification methodologies, mechanism investigations, and practical bio-application studies. Contributions focusing on surface-functionalized smart gels for drug loading, targeted therapy, biosensing, and tissue regeneration are particularly welcome.
Prof. Dr. Jun Huang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- surface engineering
- bio-applications
- drug delivery
- tissue engineering
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
