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Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition)
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Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 4984

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shiyang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Organic Compound Pollution Control Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
Interests: nanofiber materials; functional gels; nonpoint source pollution control; solid phase carbon source denitrification; piezocatalytic materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhenxing Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315300, China
Interests: functional aerogels; inorganic synthetic chemistry; nanomaterial chemistry; cellulose-based functional material; solar energy conversion and storage; photothermal catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daxin Liang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Interests: aerogel; wood bionics; cellulose-based functional material; selective adsorption; supramolecular material
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are grateful to all authors, reviewers and readers for their responses to the first and second volumes of our Special Issue, entitled “Gels for Removal and Adsorption”. You can access and download these articles for free via:

Gels for Removal and Adsorption (1st Edition)

Gels for Removal and Adsorption (2nd Edition)

Gels (aerogels, hydrogels, etc.), typically constructed in the form of sponges, membranes, films, rods, fibers, etc., hold significant potential in the adsorption and removal of substances because of their abundant and tunable porous structure, lightweight properties and programmable surface groups, which are beneficial for specifically and efficiently capturing targeted substances.

This Special Issue focuses on the application of gels for adsorption and removal. The targeted substances include, but are not limited to, gaseous, liquid and solid states. The gaseous matters can be poisonous gases (e.g., SOx, NOx and CO), greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, freon and CH4), etc. The liquid matters include wastewaters containing oils, heavy metal ions, ammonia ion, radioactive materials, dyes and antibiotics. The targeted solids are represented by a variety of particulates (e.g., haze, dust and microorganisms). This Special Issue also welcomes research on the adsorption and removal of other special states of matter, such as plasmas, supercritical materials, liquid crystals and superconductive materials. Therefore, the collected articles should not only focus on the preparation and characterization of gels, but also on their adsorption and removal properties. More importantly, the adsorption and removal mechanisms of gels, especially their structure–activity relationships, should also be highlighted. Additionally, this Special Issue covers gels for the absorption and controlled release of drugs in postoperative repair dressing and wound healing. For these applications, the gels should be constructed responsively or intelligently geared toward certain environmental stimulations, such as pH, light, a magnetic field, an electric field and temperature for controlled drug release.

We invite you to contribute a work to this third edition. The publication of original research articles, rapid communications and reviews in this Special Issue will make important contributions to developing gels for removal and adsorption.

Dr. Shiyang Li
Dr. Zhenxing Fang
Dr. Daxin Liang
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

  • aerogels
  • hydrogels
  • membranes
  • films
  • adsorbents
  • removal
  • environmental science
  • novel gels
  • wastewater treatment
  • microplastic adsorption
  • drug adsorption/release
  • environmental catalysis

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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33 pages, 12395 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Polymyxin B-Functionalized Cryogels for Efficient Endotoxin Removal from Protein Solutions
by Peiji Liu, Hong Lin and Jingxue Wang
Gels 2025, 11(6), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060402 - 28 May 2025
Viewed by 661
Abstract
To address the limitations of traditional endotoxin adsorbents, which exhibit poor endotoxin removal efficiency and low sample recovery when processing high-concentration samples, a novel cryogel, CG(HEMA-co-AM), based on acrylamide (AM) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as the second monomer, was successfully designed and synthesized. [...] Read more.
To address the limitations of traditional endotoxin adsorbents, which exhibit poor endotoxin removal efficiency and low sample recovery when processing high-concentration samples, a novel cryogel, CG(HEMA-co-AM), based on acrylamide (AM) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as the second monomer, was successfully designed and synthesized. After optimizing the epoxidation and polymyxin B (PMB) conjugation processes, leading to the successful preparation of the functionalized cryogel CG(HEMA-co-AM)@ECH@PMB, flow-through experiments showed that in Tris-HCl buffer at a flow rate of 6 mL/min, the endotoxin removal efficiency reached 99.82%, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 1408.38 EU/mg. In a complex protein system containing BSA, HSA, Hb, LYS, and OVA (each at 10 mg/mL), the maximum endotoxin removal efficiency was 99.62%. Further investigations revealed that pH and ionic strength critically influenced the regulation of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, thus significantly affecting the endotoxin adsorption efficiency. Additionally, weakly hydrophobic and basic lysozyme exhibited significantly higher recovery rates compared to strongly hydrophobic and acidic proteins such as BSA and OVA. This functionalized cryogel integrates a high adsorption capacity with excellent specificity and features a macroporous structure suitable for dynamic chromatographic separation. It offers a novel, reusable adsorbent material for endotoxin removal in protein preparation, biopharmaceutical production, and clinical blood purification applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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17 pages, 7596 KiB  
Article
Graphene Oxide-Modulated Nanocellulose/Polyacrylamide/Sodium Alginate Hierarchical Network Hydrogel for Flexible Sensing
by Yanan Wang, Yanan Lu, Jiaming Wang, Chensen Huang, Minghui Guo and Xing Gao
Gels 2025, 11(6), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060379 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 492
Abstract
The application of hydrogels in flexible sensing has received increasing attention, but the simultaneous preparation of hydrogels with good structural stability, strain sensing sensitivity, freezing resistance, and drying resistance remains a challenge. Based on this, a GG-nanocellulose/sodium alginate/polyacrylamide composite hydrogel with a hierarchical [...] Read more.
The application of hydrogels in flexible sensing has received increasing attention, but the simultaneous preparation of hydrogels with good structural stability, strain sensing sensitivity, freezing resistance, and drying resistance remains a challenge. Based on this, a GG-nanocellulose/sodium alginate/polyacrylamide composite hydrogel with a hierarchical network structure was constructed by one-step synthesis by incorporating graphene oxide (GO) and glycerol into the hydrogel. The hydrogel remained structurally intact after 100 compression cycles. In addition, the hydrogel was dried at 30 °C for 24 h. The mass retention rate was 48%, the melting peak was as low as −13.87 °C, and the hydrogel remained flexible and stable at low temperatures. GO modulated the network structure arrangement of the hydrogel through various mechanisms, thereby conferring to the hydrogel an excellent sensing performance, with a sensitivity (GF) of 2.21. In conclusion, this hierarchical network hydrogel has good drying, freezing, and sensing properties, which provides a new viable strategy for monitoring motion signals. Moreover, the hydrogel is predicted to function as a dressing, thereby facilitating the absorption of heat from the skin’s surface, with the aim of alleviating the discomfort associated with joint and muscle injuries caused by strenuous exercise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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19 pages, 7384 KiB  
Article
Efficient Adsorption and Utilisation of Methylene Blue by NaOH-Modified Nanocellulose–Polyacrylamide Interpenetrating Network Gels
by Yanan Wang, Yanan Lu, Hao Zhong, Minghui Guo and Jingkui Li
Gels 2025, 11(4), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040252 - 27 Mar 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 499
Abstract
To solve the problem of dye contamination caused by methylene blue (MB), a one-step synthesised nanocellulose (CNF) and polyacrylamide (PAM) gel network was modified by using NaOH in this study, and the prepared samples were analysed for their micromorphology, chemical structure, and adsorption-release [...] Read more.
To solve the problem of dye contamination caused by methylene blue (MB), a one-step synthesised nanocellulose (CNF) and polyacrylamide (PAM) gel network was modified by using NaOH in this study, and the prepared samples were analysed for their micromorphology, chemical structure, and adsorption-release properties. The findings demonstrated that the maximum adsorption capacity of the CNF-PAM5% was 172.08 mg/g, which followed the quasi-second-order kinetic model and the Freundlich adsorption model. The adsorption of the gel increased with the increase of the NaOH-modified concentration. However, the adsorption efficiency of the CNF-PAM5% could still reach 85% after four cycles, and the CNF-PAM5% remained intact without signs of fragmentation after 4 h of stirring and water impact, which was attributed to the introduction of CNF into the PAM network to effectively improve the mechanical properties of the gel. Moreover, toxicity tests showed no significant difference in the amount of cellular activity, even when the volume of the CNF-PAM5% sample was increased up to 10-fold. This gel, which exhibits low toxicity and excellent recycling properties, serves to reduce environmental impact during the adsorption process. Furthermore, the potential exists for utilising the gel’s methylene blue-releasing (MB) properties as a fungicide for fish. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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12 pages, 2269 KiB  
Article
Algae Biomass Hydrogels for Enhanced Removal of Heavy Metal Ions
by Mingjie Zhao, Dadong Wang, Zhen Fan, Jian Lu, Yibo Li, Yongwei Zhang, Mingchen Lv, Min Sun and Wenji Wang
Gels 2025, 11(3), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030150 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1352
Abstract
Heavy metal ion pollution in aquatic environments is a critical global issue, damaging ecosystems and threatening human health via bioaccumulation in the food chain. Despite promising progress with biosorbents, the development of environmentally friendly and stable heavy metal adsorbents requires further exploration. In [...] Read more.
Heavy metal ion pollution in aquatic environments is a critical global issue, damaging ecosystems and threatening human health via bioaccumulation in the food chain. Despite promising progress with biosorbents, the development of environmentally friendly and stable heavy metal adsorbents requires further exploration. In this study, we present an algae-loaded alginate hydrogel as a composite adsorbent for heavy metals. The incorporation of algae enhanced the hydrogel’s adsorption capacity by 38.0%, 20.6%, and 27.1% for Cu2+, Cr3+, and Co2+, respectively. Additionally, the composite hydrogel demonstrated excellent stability and recyclability after adsorption, reducing the ecological risks associated with algae biomass usage. This algae-loaded alginate hydrogel offers an efficient and eco-friendly strategy for removing heavy metal ions from aquatic systems, highlighting its potential for environmental remediation applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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24 pages, 5166 KiB  
Article
Flocculation Mechanism and Microscopic Statics Analysis of Polyacrylamide Gel in Underwater Cement Slurry
by Hao Lu, Bo Dai, Chunhe Li, Hua Wei and Jinhui Wang
Gels 2025, 11(2), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020099 - 1 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 931
Abstract
Zeta potential testing, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, and total organic carbon analysis were employed in this manuscript to explore the flocculation mechanism of polyacrylamide (PAM) on slurry with a high content of polycarboxylate ether (PCE). Through the combination of assessments of chemical bond shifts, [...] Read more.
Zeta potential testing, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, and total organic carbon analysis were employed in this manuscript to explore the flocculation mechanism of polyacrylamide (PAM) on slurry with a high content of polycarboxylate ether (PCE). Through the combination of assessments of chemical bond shifts, adsorption indicators, and intrinsic viscosity of high-molecular-weight polymer systems, the microscale flocculation mechanisms of different PAM dosages in cement suspensions were elucidated, showcasing stages of “adsorption–lubrication–entanglement”. Initially (PAM < 0.3%), with PAM introduction, the polymer primarily underwent adsorption interactions, including hydrogen bonding between the ester group, amine group, and water molecules; chelation between the ester group and Ca2+ and Al3+ on the cement surface; and bridging between PAM’s long-chain structure and cement particles. As the PAM content increased, the cement particles’ adsorption capacity saturated (PAM < 0.67%). The entropy loss of polymer conformation could not be offset by adsorption energy, leading to its exclusion from the interface and depletion attractive forces. Slurry movement shifted from inter-particle motion to high-molecular-weight polymer sliding in interstitial fluid, forming a lubrication effect. With further PAM content no less than 0.67%, the polymer solution reached a critical entanglement concentration, and the contact of the rotation radius of the long-chain molecules led to entanglement domination. By introducing bridging adsorption, depletion attraction, and entanglement forces, the cohesion of cement-based polymer suspensions was subsequently determined. The results showed a linear correlation between cohesion and PAM concentration raised to powers of 0.30, 1.0, and 0.75 at different interaction stages, and a multiscale validation from microscopic flocculation mechanisms to macroscopic performance was finally completed through a comparative analysis with macroscopic anti-washout performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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Review

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43 pages, 19225 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Flexible Wearable Sensors Utilizing Conductive Hydrogels for Sports Applications: Characteristics, Mechanisms, and Modification Strategies
by Jie Wu, Jingya Hong, Xing Gao, Yutong Wang, Wenyan Wang, Hongchao Zhang, Jaeyoung Park, Weiquan Shi and Wei Guo
Gels 2025, 11(8), 589; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080589 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 563
Abstract
Conductive hydrogels demonstrate substantial potential for flexible wearable sensors in motion monitoring, owing to their unique physicochemical properties; however, current implementations still confront persistent challenges in long-term stability, sensitivity, response speed, and detection limits under complex dynamic conditions, which material innovations are urgently [...] Read more.
Conductive hydrogels demonstrate substantial potential for flexible wearable sensors in motion monitoring, owing to their unique physicochemical properties; however, current implementations still confront persistent challenges in long-term stability, sensitivity, response speed, and detection limits under complex dynamic conditions, which material innovations are urgently required to resolve. Consequently, this paper comprehensively reviews the recent advancements in conductive hydrogel-based flexible wearable sensors for sports applications. The paper examines the conductivity, self-adhesion, self-repair, and biocompatibility of conductive hydrogels, along with detailed analyses of their working principles in resistance, capacitance, piezoelectric, and battery-based sensing mechanisms. Additionally, the paper summarizes innovative strategies to enhance sensor performance through polymer blending, polyelectrolyte doping, inorganic salt doping, and nanomaterial integration. Furthermore, the paper highlights the latest applications of conductive hydrogel flexible wearable sensors in human motion monitoring, electrophysiological signal detection, and electrochemical biosignal monitoring. Finally, the paper provides an in-depth discussion of the advantages and limitations of existing technologies, offering valuable insights and new perspectives for future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Removal and Adsorption (3rd Edition))
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