Advances in the Design and Application of Gels in Heritage Conservation
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 562
Special Issue Editors
Interests: green chemistry; nanomaterials; conservation; sustainability; soft matters; heritage science; material analysis; hydrogels; organogels; greener solvents
Interests: chemistry of cultural heritage and the environment; soft matters for the cleaning of artistic surfaces and the monitoring of organic polluting species; gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: dyes and pigments; organic binders; spectroscopic techniques; cultural heritage materials; gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is now well recognized that the use of gels and other advanced functional materials has marked a turning point and a significant advancement in the field of cultural heritage conservation over the past few decades, offering previously unexplored possibilities. Gels are versatile materials with critical applications across numerous scientific and technological sectors, including, but not limited to, cosmetics, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.
Their unique properties—such as fluid retention, controlled release, adaptability to complex surfaces, and the virtually limitless potential to design gels with tailored characteristics based on the specific needs of an artwork—make them ideal alternatives to conventional solutions. Gels are particularly effective for cleaning solvent- or water-sensitive and complex surfaces, as well as for consolidation and protection treatments in conservation practices, and have already demonstrated great potential and unprecedented performance, especially as cleaning systems. More recently, research has increasingly focused on the development of greener materials, incorporating bio-derived components or renewable feedstocks into gel formulations. This shift aims to provide sustainable alternatives to traditional methods, which often rely on petroleum-based substances and inefficient procedures, and to further promote sustainable development within the cultural heritage sector.
Although significant progress has been made through the integration of soft matter and colloid science in cultural heritage conservation, many opportunities and applications remain to be explored. We welcome the submission of new results on the development and application of gels in cultural heritage, with particular interest in greener materials, sustainable conservation practices involving gel applications, and theoretical insights into gel–substrate interactions.
Dr. Chiara Biribicchi
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Favero
Dr. Alessandro Ciccola
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
- cultural heritage conservation
- nanomaterials
- advanced materials
- green chemistry
- hydrogels
- organogels
- soft matter
- cleaning
- physical gels
- chemical gels
- gel characterization
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