Characterization Techniques for Hydrogels and Their Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 912
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polyethylenimine; solid-state NMR; hydrogels; copper complexes
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The development of novel functional materials is currently a major challenge to addressing specific problems not only in the environmental field but also in chemistry and biotechnology. In this sense, macromolecular chemistry is of great interest to produce processable materials with unique and valuable properties. Among them, polymer films and hydrogel structures offer new possibilities for scientists to create synthetic materials. Particularly, the incorporation of different transition metal ions and rare-earth elements into macromolecular architectures, thus allowing the combination of the physicochemical properties of both materials. In this sense, the use of spectroscopic and rheological techniques is necessary to achieve both the chemical structures and mechanical properties for the resulting materials as well as the success in their applications in different areas. Among them, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is the goal characterization technique to resolve chemical structures from small molecules to macromolecules. In addition, the material can be dissolved in different deuterated solvents and studied in the swollen or solid state. In some cases, ATR-FTIR or Raman techniques are commonly used for the bulk characterization of functional groups or chemical modifications in broad types of materials. Additionally, the use of electronic microscopies (SEM or TEM) coupled with EDX detectors can analyze the atomic elemental composition and localization, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can also study the electronic state for different elements, which is extremely important in catalytic systems.
The aim of this Special Issue is to receive articles, comprehensive reviews, short communications, and perspectives, with topics addressing—but not limited to—the key findings and contributions on advanced hydrogels or supramolecular materials, with particular emphasis on their structure at different levels, including advanced characterization techniques (mechanical and spectroscopic tools) and their applications (catalysis, remediation, sorption processes, batteries, etc.).
Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Lázaro-Martínez
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
- characterization
- spectroscopies
- NMR
- XPS
- mechanical properties
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