Hydrogels, Microgels, and Nanogels: From Fundamentals to Applications (3rd Edition)
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1000
Special Issue Editors
Interests: materials science; soft matter; gels; scattering techniques; spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: chemical synthesis; electron transfer processes; hybrid materials for solar energy; electrochemical and biomedical applications; thin films; optical techniques
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 edition of our Special Issue entitled “Hydrogels, Microgels, and Nanogels: From Fundamentals to Applications”. You can access these articles for free via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/L3O48JY2AD.
In recent years, hydrogels have attracted significant interest owing to their fascinating properties and attributes that have revealed an array of application-related opportunities in various fields.
Hydrogels are a highly versatile class of biomaterials, consisting of hydrophilic polymer networks that can be processed into bulk materials, as well as micro- or nanoparticles, of both natural and synthetic origin.
Hydrogels are characterized by many fascinating properties, such as swelling, softness, and sensitivity to external stimuli. Indeed, cross-linked hydrogel particles with a size ranging from the nanometric to the micrometric scale, which are known as microgels, can be tailored to achieve the desired degree of multi-functionality.
Their unique character is a result of their hybrid nature between polymers and colloids, leading to a rich phase behavior that can be tuned through easily accessible control parameters. These features make microgels intriguing model colloids for the exploration of phase transitions in complex systems, as well as being highly attractive materials for several technological applications.
Owing to this wide variety of interesting properties, smart hydrogel-based materials have found application as innovative solutions in various fields, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, agriculture, cultural heritage, sensing, and biosensing.
This Special Issue focuses on experiments, simulation, synthesis methods and the application of smart hydrogels, microgels and nanogels. Manuscripts may address synthesis methods, dynamics and structure, phase diagrams, and interparticle interactions, as well as their manifold applications in different fields.
Both original contributions and reviews are welcome.
Dr. Valentina Nigro
Dr. Francesca Limosani
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
- hydrogels
- microgels
- polymers
- colloids
- synthesis
- characterization
- applications
- swelling
- phase behaviour
- stimuli-responsive
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