Recent Advances in Novel Hydrogels and Aerogels
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2026 | Viewed by 70
Special Issue Editors
Interests: aerogels; polyethylene glycols; polymers; thermal insulators; building materials; green additives; nanotechnology; analytical methods
Interests: organic materials; organic photonics; organic electronics; gels; biomedicine; luminescence properties; organic synthesis; computational chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: functionalization of natural polymer; including aerogels and hydrogel from natural polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, entitled “Recent Advances in Novel Hydrogels and Aerogels”, aims to highlight cutting-edge research in the rapidly evolving field of gel-based materials. The Special Issue will cover the latest developments in their synthesis, functionalization, characterization, and applications across various sectors.
Hydrogels and aerogels are both highly porous material classes that have attracted significant interest due to their unique physical and chemical properties, including low density, high surface area, and excellent thermal insulation capabilities. In the past decade, significant progress has been made in tailoring aerogels and hydrogels through advanced polymer systems, particularly those incorporating polyethylene glycol and other functional polymers, enabling novel applications in tissue engineering, soft robotics, sensing technologies, energy-efficient building materials, thermal management, and lightweight structural components. Furthermore, the integration of green additives and bio-based components aligns with the growing interest in sustainable and environmentally friendly material design.
The Special Issue welcomes original research and review papers exploring both fundamental studies and practical implementations of these porous materials. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, nanostructuring strategies, hybrid and composite 3D gel networks, polymer aerogel/hydrogel interactions, the optimization of thermal and mechanical performances, the development of multifunctional insulators, and the application of advanced analytical methods for structural and performance evaluation.
We invite contributions from across materials science, polymer chemistry, nanotechnology, and engineering disciplines, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of current innovations and future directions in the aerogel field.
We look forward to your submissions and advancing the scientific dialogue on these exciting materials.
Dr. Esther Pinilla-Peñalver
Dr. Iván Torres Moya
Prof. Dr. Lingbin Lu
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
- aerogels
- hydrogels
- polymers
- composites
- insulation
- biomedicine
- soft robotics
- green chemistry
- building materials
- functional properties
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