Advances in Functional Gel (3rd Edition)

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

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