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Gels
Special Issues
Advanced Synthesis, Functionalization, and Applications of Biomass Hydrogels
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Advanced Synthesis, Functionalization, and Applications of Biomass Hydrogels

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 478

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Daochen Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: lignin-based hydrogels; microorganism resource; lignin biodegradation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass-derived polymers such as lignin, cellulose, chitosan, alginate, and starch are abundant, renewable, and sustainable resources with great potential for hydrogel development. Biomass hydrogels combine biocompatibility, biodegradability, and multifunctionality, making them highly attractive for applications in biomedicine, agriculture, food, energy, and environmental remediation.

This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest progress in the synthesis, structural regulation, properties, and applications of biomass-based hydrogels, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting sustainable innovation.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Green synthesis and functionalization strategies for biomass hydrogels (e.g., chemical, enzymatic, and physical crosslinking; nanocomposites; hybrid systems).
  • Structure–property relationships and performance optimization (e.g., mechanical, rheological, swelling, stimuli-responsive, and self-healing properties).
  • Biomedical, agricultural, food, energy, and environmental applications of biomass hydrogels (e.g., drug delivery, tissue engineering, smart fertilizers, water retention, food packaging, bioactive compound release, energy storage, pollutant adsorption).
  • Sustainable manufacturing, scalability, and industrial translation of biomass hydrogels (e.g., biodegradability, recycling, eco-friendly production, cost-effectiveness).

We welcome original research articles and reviews highlighting recent advances in biomass hydrogel science and technology.

Prof. Dr. Daochen Zhu
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.

Keywords

  • lignin hydrogels
  • functional biomaterials
  • structure–performance regulation
  • sustainable polymers
  • multifunctional applications

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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15 pages, 2097 KB  
Article
Response Surface Methodology Optimization of Electron-Beam-Irradiated Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Citric Acid-Based Hydrogels
by Sa Rang Choi and Jung Myoung Lee
Gels 2025, 11(11), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110928 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 173
Abstract
Electron beam irradiation (EBI) is an environmentally friendly cross-linking technique that can form covalent bonds between natural polymers without the use of chemical cross-linkers. In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC; 3000 cPs) and citric acid (CA) were used to prepare hydrogels under low-dose [...] Read more.
Electron beam irradiation (EBI) is an environmentally friendly cross-linking technique that can form covalent bonds between natural polymers without the use of chemical cross-linkers. In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC; 3000 cPs) and citric acid (CA) were used to prepare hydrogels under low-dose EBI conditions (7 kGy). The effects of composition variables were statistically analyzed using response surface methodology based on central composite design. The concentrations of CMC (4–14 wt%) and CA (1–4 wt%) were selected as independent variables, while the gel fraction, water absorption, and elastic modulus were employed as responses. Analysis of variance confirmed that the quadratic models were statistically significant (p < 0.05) with a high predictive reliability (R2 = 0.91–0.98). Statistical validation demonstrated that the residuals were normally distributed and that all data fell within the 95% prediction interval, verifying the robustness of the model. Multi-response optimization identified an optimal composition of 8.88 wt% CMC and 0.03 wt% CA, yielding a predicted gel fraction of 88.7%, water absorption of 256 g/g, and modulus of 2273 Pa. The extended condition (CMC 9.12 wt%, CA 2.17 × 10−7 wt%) achieved similar absorbency with a ~9% higher modulus. This study established a reliable predictive model correlating the composition and properties of EBI-induced CMC–CA hydrogels, providing a foundation for optimizing eco-friendly hydrogel processes and scaling them up in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Synthesis, Functionalization, and Applications of Biomass Hydrogels)
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