Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.6
5.3
Journals
Gels
Special Issues
Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition)
share announcement

Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 4187

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Wei Cui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: fracture mechanics; adhesion; tough gel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is now well recognized that the birth of synthetic hydrogels in 1960 by O. Wichterle and D. Lim marked the beginning of a new era in the science and technology of hydrogels. Hydrogels are hydrophilic polymer networks swollen in water or other fluids, integrating solid (elastic) and liquid (viscous) properties. Especially in the past three decades, hydrogels have also been extensively explored and widely used in diverse interdisciplinary science and engineering applications such as fracture mechanics, mechanochemistry, wound dressings, scaffolds for tissue engineering, contact lenses, absorbents in waste management, coating, drug delivery, water treatment, sensors, flexible electronics, and soft robots. However, most conventional hydrogels composed of a single network (SN) usually suffer from mechanical weakness, greatly limiting their extensive uses for engineering applications requiring high mechanical properties. Over the last few decades, intensive efforts have led to synthesizing hydrogels that possess extreme mechanical properties, such as double-network (DN) gels, slide-ring (SR) gels, tetra-PEG gels, nanocomposite (NC) gels, hybrid gels, polyampholytes gels, phase-separated gels, and freeze-casting gels. DN gel is a landmark tough material with intrinsic tough mechanical properties due to its unique two contrasting network structures. The theory of sacrificial bond and energy dissipation adequately demonstrates the universality of the toughing gel and can be easily understood by a general audience. Although many aspects of the bridging relationship between the structure and properties of gel have been clarified so far, many phenomena and underlying mechanisms are still left unsolved. We believe it is time to revisit the mechanical properties and network of gels to mark a possible second beginning of a new era in the science of gels. We look forward to submitting new results on the properties and structure of gels. The submission of both theoretical and experimental studies is welcome.

Dr. Wei Cui
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 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

  • gel and network
  • tough gel
  • gel rheology
  • gel adhesion
  • photonic crystal hydrogel sensor

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

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 6475 KiB  
Article
Catalytic Interface of rGO-VO2/W5O14 Hydrogel for High-Performance Electrochemical Water Oxidation
by Mrunal Bhosale, Rutuja U. Amate, Pritam J. Morankar and Chan-Wook Jeon
Gels 2025, 11(8), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080670 - 21 Aug 2025
Abstract
The continuous increase in global energy demand necessitates the development of sustainable, clean, and highly efficient methods of energy generation. Electrochemical water splitting, comprising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), represents a promising strategy but remains hindered by sluggish reaction [...] Read more.
The continuous increase in global energy demand necessitates the development of sustainable, clean, and highly efficient methods of energy generation. Electrochemical water splitting, comprising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), represents a promising strategy but remains hindered by sluggish reaction kinetics and limited availability of highly active electrocatalysts especially under alkaline conditions. Addressing this challenge, we successfully synthesized a rGO-VO2/W5O14 (rG-VO2/W5O14) hydrogel electrocatalyst through a facile hydrothermal approach. The prepared composite distinctly reveals an advantageous hierarchical microstructure characterized by VO2 nanoflakes uniformly distributed on the surface of rGO nanosheets, intricately integrated with W5O14 nanorods. Evaluated in a 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, the optimized rG-VO2/W5O14-2 catalyst demonstrates remarkable electrocatalytic performance towards OER, achieving a low overpotential of 265.8 mV and a reduced Tafel slope of 81.9 mV dec−1. Furthermore, the catalyst maintains robust stability with minimal performance degradation, exhibiting an overpotential of only 273.0 mV after 5000 cyclic stability tests. The superior catalytic activity and durability are attributed to the synergistic combination of enriched chemical composition, effective electron transfer, and abundant catalytic active sites inherent in the well-optimized rG-VO2/W5O14-2 composite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 7889 KiB  
Article
Tannic Acid-Enhanced Gelatin-Based Composite Hydrogel as a Candidate for Canine Periodontal Regeneration
by Laura C. Pinho, Marta Ferreira, Angélica Graça, Joana Marto, Bruno Colaço, Maria Helena Fernandes and Catarina Santos
Gels 2025, 11(8), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080650 - 15 Aug 2025
Viewed by 212
Abstract
Periodontal disease in dogs leads to progressive bone loss and adversely impacts overall health. However, cost-effective regenerative strategies are still limited in veterinary practice. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel tannic acid (TA)–gelatin-based hydrogel (Gel), incorporating graphene oxide (GO) and [...] Read more.
Periodontal disease in dogs leads to progressive bone loss and adversely impacts overall health. However, cost-effective regenerative strategies are still limited in veterinary practice. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel tannic acid (TA)–gelatin-based hydrogel (Gel), incorporating graphene oxide (GO) and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HA), as a potential barrier material for guided tissue regeneration (GTR) applications. The hydrogels—Gel, Gel-GO, Gel-HA, and Gel-GO-HA—were characterized for chemical structure, molecular interactions, surface morphology, nanoparticle dispersion, and tensile strength. Cytotoxicity was assessed using L929 fibroblasts (ISO 10993-5), while cell viability/proliferation, morphology, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production were evaluated using canine periodontal ligament-derived cells. Results show that crosslinking with tannic acid enhanced the incorporation of graphene oxide and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles via hydrogen bonding into TA–gelatin-based hydrogels. This combination increased surface roughness, reduced degradation rate, and enabled shape memory behavior, critical for guided tissue regeneration (GTR) membranes. The extracts from Gel-HA-GO showed that cytotoxicity was both time- and concentration-dependent in L929 fibroblasts, whereas enhanced cell proliferation and increased ALP production were observed in cultures derived from canine periodontal ligament cells. These findings suggest that TA–gelatin-based hydrogels incorporating GO and HA demonstrated favorable mechanical and physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and osteogenic potential. These attributes suggest their viability as a promising composite for the development of innovative GTR strategies to address periodontal tissue loss in veterinary medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 2377 KiB  
Article
Orodispersible Hydrogel Film Technology for Optimized Galantamine Delivery in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
by Dilyana Georgieva, Ivana Bogdanova, Rositsa Mihaylova, Mariela Alexandrova, Silvia Bozhilova, Darinka Christova and Bistra Kostova
Gels 2025, 11(8), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080629 - 10 Aug 2025
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is the most widespread neurodegenerative disease in the world. Galantamine hydrobromide (GH) is one of the drugs used to treat mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type. Due to the fact that the specificity of the disease requires maximally facilitated [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most widespread neurodegenerative disease in the world. Galantamine hydrobromide (GH) is one of the drugs used to treat mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type. Due to the fact that the specificity of the disease requires maximally facilitated intake, orodispersible films present such an opportunity. In the present study orodispersible films based on poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) as well as partially hydrolyzed poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) were prepared and studied as delivery systems for GH. Two samples of partially hydrolyzed PEtOx were synthesized—one of relatively low degree of hydrolysis and another one of relatively high degree of hydrolysis, and studied by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Cytotoxicity assay was performed that validated the low hydrolyzed derivative as biocompatible polymer that maintained desirable physicochemical characteristics without compromising the safety, thereby it was selected for further research. The films were prepared by the solution casting method and characterized by different methods. FTIR was used to determine the potential interactions between the galantamine molecule and the film components. Based on the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) conducted, it was concluded that all films were sufficiently thermally stable, as the component decomposition stage (after initial solvent removal) began above 180 °C. The polymer films were further characterized with the determination of Shore hardness and the results showed that the films containing glycerol as a plasticizer exhibited higher hardness compared to those with PEG as a plasticizer. The disintegration time of the films was determined visually using Petri dishes and it was found that the films disintegrated within the range of 0.52 to 1.58 min, fully meeting the pharmacopoeial requirements. GH release profiles in PBS at 37 °C were obtained, and it was found that by the second minute, 80–90% of the drug were released from the different films, and the release followed an anomalous diffusion mechanism (Case II). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2900 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Carrageenans Versus Kappa–Iota-Carrageenan Blends: A Comparative Study of Hydrogel Elastic Properties
by Maria Alice Freitas Monteiro, Bruno Faria, Izabel Cristina Freitas Moraes and Loic Hilliou
Gels 2025, 11(3), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030157 - 22 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1384
Abstract
A comparison between the gel properties of blends of kappa- and iota-carrageenans (K+Is) and hybrid carrageenans (KIs) with equivalent chemical compositions is here presented. The objective is to assess under which conditions hybrid carrageenans are valuable alternative to blends of kappa- and iota-carrageenans [...] Read more.
A comparison between the gel properties of blends of kappa- and iota-carrageenans (K+Is) and hybrid carrageenans (KIs) with equivalent chemical compositions is here presented. The objective is to assess under which conditions hybrid carrageenans are valuable alternative to blends of kappa- and iota-carrageenans for gelling applications and to contribute to the identification of phase-separated structures or co-aggregated helices. Phase states constructed in sodium chloride and in potassium chloride confirm that KIs build gels under a much narrower range of ionic strength and polysaccharide concentration. Hybrid carrageenans displayed salt specificity, forming gels in KCl but not in NaCl, highlighting their limited gelling potential in Na+ environments. A two-step gelation mechanism was found in both systems at lower ionic strengths and when iota carrageenan is the major component. The shear elastic moduli of KI gels are overall smaller than those of blends, but the opposite is observed at lower ionic strengths in KCl and in systems richer in iota-carrageenans. The nonlinear elastic properties of gels do not relate to the use of blends or hybrid carrageenans for their formulation. Instead, larger contents in iota-carrageenans lead to gels able to sustain larger strains before yielding to a fluid state. However, these gels are more prone to strain softening, whereas strain hardening is measured in gels containing more kappa-carrageenan, irrespective of their blend or hybrid structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 6402 KiB  
Article
3D-Printed Hydrogel Scaffolds Loaded with Flavanone@ZIF-8 Nanoparticles for Promoting Bacteria-Infected Wound Healing
by Jian Yu, Xin Huang, Fangying Wu, Shasha Feng, Rui Cheng, Jieyan Xu, Tingting Cui and Jun Li
Gels 2024, 10(12), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10120835 - 18 Dec 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1551
Abstract
Bacterial-infected skin wounds caused by trauma remain a significant challenge in modern medicine. Clinically, there is a growing demand for wound dressings with exceptional antibacterial activity and robust regenerative properties. To address the need, this study proposes a novel multifunctional dressing designed to [...] Read more.
Bacterial-infected skin wounds caused by trauma remain a significant challenge in modern medicine. Clinically, there is a growing demand for wound dressings with exceptional antibacterial activity and robust regenerative properties. To address the need, this study proposes a novel multifunctional dressing designed to combine efficient gas exchange, effective microbial barriers, and precise drug delivery capabilities, thereby promoting cell proliferation and accelerating wound healing. This work reports the development of a 3D-printed hydrogel scaffold incorporating flavanone (FLA)-loaded ZIF-8 nanoparticles (FLA@ZIF-8 NPs) within a composite matrix of κ-carrageenan (KC) and konjac glucomannan (KGM). The scaffold forms a stable dual-network structure through the chelation of KC with potassium ions and intermolecular hydrogen bonding between KC and KGM. This dual-network structure not only enhances the mechanical stability of the scaffold but also improves its adaptability to complex wound environments. In mildly acidic wound conditions, FLA@ZIF-8 NPs release Zn2+ and flavanone in a controlled manner, providing sustained antibacterial effects and promoting wound healing. In vivo studies using a rat full-thickness infected wound model demonstrated that the FLA@ZIF-8/KC@KGM hydrogel scaffold significantly accelerated wound healing, showcasing its superior performance in the treatment of infected wounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 5497 KiB  
Review
Hydrogel Applications for Cultural Heritage Protection: Emphasis on Antifungal Efficacy and Emerging Research Directions
by Meijun Chen, Shunyu Xiang and Huan Tang
Gels 2025, 11(8), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080606 - 2 Aug 2025
Viewed by 283
Abstract
Hydrogels, characterized by their high water content, tunable mechanical properties, and excellent biocompatibility, have emerged as a promising material platform for the preservation of cultural heritage. Their unique physicochemical features enable non-invasive and adaptable solutions for environmental regulation, structural stabilization, and antifungal protection. [...] Read more.
Hydrogels, characterized by their high water content, tunable mechanical properties, and excellent biocompatibility, have emerged as a promising material platform for the preservation of cultural heritage. Their unique physicochemical features enable non-invasive and adaptable solutions for environmental regulation, structural stabilization, and antifungal protection. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in hydrogel-based strategies specifically developed for the conservation of cultural relics, with a particular focus on antifungal performance—an essential factor in preventing biodeterioration. Current hydrogel systems, composed of natural or synthetic polymer networks integrated with antifungal agents, demonstrate the ability to suppress fungal growth, regulate humidity, alleviate mechanical stress, and ensure minimal damage to artifacts during application. This review also highlights future research directions, such as the application prospects of novel materials, including stimuli-responsive hydrogels and self-dissolving hydrogels. As an early exploration of the use of hydrogels in antifungal protection and broader cultural heritage conservation, this work is expected to promote the wider application of this emerging technology, contributing to the effective preservation and long-term transmission of cultural heritage worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Structure of Hydrogel-Related Materials (2nd Edition))
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop