Advances in Functional Gel (3rd Edition)
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 1063
Special Issue Editors
Interests: advanced materials; green chemistry; nanotechnology; sustainable goals; multifunctional coating
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: material chemistry; nanotechnology; sol–gel chemistry; polymer science; Hi-tech textiles; functional coatings; sustainability; stimuli-responsive polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Department of ChiBioFarAm, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: materials chemistry; green chemistry; nanotechnology; environmental remediation; advanced materials; filtration membranes; stimuli-responsive polymers; functional systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, due to the increasing demands of modern society for sustainability, environmental protection, and pollution prevention, there has been a growing global need for more efficient, eco-friendly, and long-life materials.
In this framework, it appears to be quite necessary to encompass a range of strategies that can help in the transition towards a circular economy by supporting the following:
- A reduction in primary raw material consumption, fossil-based reagents and waste production;
- The development of multifunctional products that can help in saving money and reducing pollution, by decreasing the number of products in our everyday life;
- The maintenance of the final product performance over time by improving its resistance to external agents and wear from end users, thereby extending the product life cycle.
Using this reasoning, recent studies in materials chemistry have increasingly focused on the development of innovative and smart (multi)functional gel-based materials, which exhibit a wide range of valuable properties for applications across biomedical, sensing, textile, catalysis, construction, cultural heritage, blue growth, automotive, and environmental industrial sectors.
Additionally, nanotechnology has been shown to be a determinant in the rational design of these novel functional nanostructured gel formulations, leading to advanced nano-hybrid or nanocomposite gels, also useful as coatings for surface properties’ implementation, such as anti-vegetative or antibacterial, hydrophobic, anti-stain, fire-retardant, controlled drug release, molecule detection, protection, and mechanical resistance.
In this regard, gel technologies are receiving considerable attention for the design and development of functional hybrid organic and inorganic systems. These systems are based on host (or blended) polymeric matrices and opportune functional nanofillers, offering advantages such as low process temperature, no cytotoxicity, high final product homogeneity, hazardous solvent’s absence, high versatility, and stable binding to functional molecules or surfaces.
Furthermore, green and eco-friendly gel-based synthetic protocols can be established in combination with naturally derived polymers and bio-based or secondary raw materials, thereby resulting in new eco-friendly products that can be recycled and re-used.
Dr. Maria Rosaria Plutino
Dr. Silvia Sfameni
Dr. Giulia Rando
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 systems
- nanohybrid gels
- nanocomposite gels
- innovative advanced gels
- bio-based gel materials
- sol–gel technique
- functional gel coatings
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.
Related Special Issues
- Advances in Functional Gel (2nd Edition) in Gels (9 articles)
- Advances in Functional Gel in Gels (17 articles)
