Advances in Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

Nature is a great reservoir of ideas for scientists worldwide, and at the same time, it is the direct source of a variety of materials with diverse properties, including some of the most popular biopolymers: chitin and chitosan. It is amazing how from the shells of marine crustaceans and the exoskeletons of invertebrates, we can derive products for later use in a variety of applications ranging from scaffolds for tissue engineering to drug delivery devices, wound patches, wastewater management technology, food packaging, and agricultural materials. We start with chitin, then we have its N-deacetylated derivative chitosan, and from there a variety of subsequent modifications are possible. This results in a great library of chitin- and chitosan-based biopolymers and their composites, which can be used to formulate hydrogels characterized by a set of useful properties. Scientific creativity has no limits, and we all pursue our work to find superior solutions to challenges faced in modern medicine, the environment, and the food and cosmetic industry.

We invite you to share your latest research on chitin- and chitosan-based hydrogels and subject-relevant reviews by submitting your manuscripts to this Special Issue. In the first edition, 13 papers were published, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/chitin_chitosan_gels.

Together, we can show how the field is advancing and stimulate further discussion and exchange of ideas.

Prof. Dr. Xinjian Cheng
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.