Special Issue "Recent Advances in Crosslinked Gels"
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2023 | Viewed by 6276
Special Issue Editors

Interests: hydrogels; stimuli-responsive polymers; polypyrroles; conducting polymers; applications of hydrogels; polymeric fluorescence sensors; controlled release

Interests: polymer synthesis; supramolecular materials; biomaterials; stimuli-responsive materials; drug delivery; tissue engineering; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The concept of gelation was first introduced by W.H. Carothers to describe systems in which a sample spanning three-dimensional (3D) networks of polymers/particles immobilizes the solvent in which they are dispersed/dissolved. The 3D network of polymers/particles is connected via covalent and/or non-covalent bonds, and it is important to note that the solvent content of such materials can be >90%. Gels have a variety of applications based on their properties, and those that respond to internal and/or external stimuli such as temperature, pH, solvent composition, ionic composition, magnetic field, electric field and light, etc. are described as “stimuli-responsive gels” or “smart gels”; this property of gels has attracted the attention of researchers working in different fields to generate gels for applications including but not limited to adsorption, recovery, drug delivery, tissue engineering, sensors, petroleum industry, etc.
This Special Issue serves as a focal point for high-quality research papers as well as review articles addressing crosslinked polymeric gels, their preparation, characterization, and various applications in the fields of chemistry, engineering, and biotechnology.
Dr. Melike Firlak
Dr. John G. Hardy
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 1800 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
- Polymeric gels
- Crosslinked gels
- Supramolecular gels
- Synthesis of polymers
- Characterization of gels
- Smart gels
- Stimuli-responsive gels
- Applications
- Drug delivery
- Sensors
- Tissue engineering
- Adsorption
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
1. Title: Recent Advances in Cross-linked Gels as Drug Carriers for Drug Delivery to the Central Nervous System: A Systemic Review
Abstract: Gels are semisolid, homogeneous formulations comprising a dispersion of substance in a suitable hydrophobic or hydrophilic three-dimensional polymer network system. Gels have a wide range of applications, including in food, cosmetics, biotechnology, and medicines. Gels are attractive candidates as drug delivery systems because they are easily to producible while offering sustained and/or controlled drug release through various routes as they intimately place the therapeutic agent at the site of action or absorption. Development of novel gel systems for local or systemic drug delivery in a sustained, controlled, and targetable manner has been at the epitome of recent advances in drug delivery systems. This preceded research on the design of gel-based systems that respond to specific biological or external stimuli like pH, temperature, ionic charges, enzymes, antigens, light, magnetic field, ultrasound, and electric current. Hydrogels are three-dimensional, crosslinked networks of water-soluble polymers that undergo physical transformation in the presence of water while maintaining the structural integrity. Hydrogels are widely exploited for their self-regulated drug-delivery mechanisms. Hydrogels have made an immense contribution in the development of the different drug delivery systems (DDS) over the last decade. They have been appraised as “smart gel systems” and continue to be researched extensively for various applications. In this review, the literature concerning hydrogel systems, particularly recent advances in crosslinked gels for targeted drug delivery to the central nervous system are explored. The different types of advanced formulations reported will be discussed, presenting the most recent patents according to the clinical applications.
2. Title: Thermal studies of water confined in cross-linked dextran gel Sephadex G-25 by adiabatic calorimetry
Abstract: Thermal behaviors of water confined in crosslinked dextran gel Sephadex G-25 were investigated by adiabatic calorimetry. Heat capacities and enthalpy relaxation phenomena of the sample of water to anhydrate mass ratio /h/ = 1.00 was measured between 80 and 300 K. After rapid cooling (3-5 K min^-1 ), gradual heat evolution was observed in the wide temperature range of 170-242 K and the melting of ice began at 242 K. Immediately afterthe beginning of melting, crystallization due to glassy water which uncrystallized during cooling occurred at 248 K. The melting of ice covered a wide temperature range of 242-272 K. After super slow cooling (10-20 mK min^-1 ), only a melting of ice was observed at 242-272 K. Enthalpy relaxation behavior peculiar to glass transitionwas observed at 140-200 K. Melting Enthalpy of 4.43 kJ (H2O 1 mol)^-1 corresponds to 73 % of bulk water, suggesting that 27% water in /h/ = 1.00 sample doesn’t crystalize due to strong interaction with sephadex. The enthalpy of crystallization due to glassy water, about 4 % of melting enthalpy. The enthalpy of gradual heat evolution depended on the cooling speed. Detailed discussion will be presented.