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Gels
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Advances in Responsive Hydrogels (2nd Edition)
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Advances in Responsive Hydrogels (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 3857

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gianluca Viscusi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: green nanomaterials; polymer characterization; nanocomposites; surface chemistry; nanoparticles synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are grateful to all the authors, reviewers and readers for their responses to the first edition of “Advances in Responsive Hydrogels”. You can access these articles for free via the link:

Advances in Responsive Hydrogels

In recent years, research efforts have focused on the design of responsive hydrogel systems with multiple applications due to their properties and versatility. These kinds of advanced materials are known to exhibit responsive properties to external stimuli, such as electrical field, light, pH, or temperature variations, which could alter their chemical and/or physical properties. This behavior can then be exploited to design advanced materials with unique properties. Moreover, these characteristics make them potentially applicable in the fields of adsorption, food packaging, soft robotics, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and for the modulated release of functional encapsulated compounds. Thus, this Special Issue offers high-quality research. I look forward to receiving submissions concerning the fabrication, characterization, and application of advanced hydrogel systems with responsive properties. As the Guest Editor of the second edition of this Gels Special Issue, it is my pleasure to invite you to submit an article. The article may be either a full research paper based on your own expertise or a focused, critical review article.

Dr. Gianluca Viscusi
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 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
  • stimuli-responsive hydrogels
  • hydrogel characterization
  • pH monitoring
  • triggered release
  • smart gels
  • tissue engineering
  • polymeric gels
  • drug delivery
  • hydrogel synthesis

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5386 KiB  
Article
Enzymatically Cross-Linked Hydrogel Beads Based on a Novel Poly(aspartamide) Derivative
by Wenzhuo Hou, Hui Yi and Guangyan Zhang
Gels 2025, 11(2), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020093 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 623
Abstract
In recent years, hydrogel beads and in situ hydrogels have gained wide attention in various fields such as biomedicine. In this study, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (HP) was introduced into the side chain of poly(α,β-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide]) (PHEA) to synthesize phenolic hydroxyl-functionalized [...] Read more.
In recent years, hydrogel beads and in situ hydrogels have gained wide attention in various fields such as biomedicine. In this study, 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (HP) was introduced into the side chain of poly(α,β-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide]) (PHEA) to synthesize phenolic hydroxyl-functionalized poly(aspartamide) derivative PHEA-HP with enzyme-catalyzed cross-linking potential. First, the chemical structure of PHEA-HP was characterized by FT-IR, UV and 1H NMR, and the results of in vitro cytotoxicity against L929 cell line and hemolysis experiment showed that PHEA-HP did not have toxicity to cells (viability > 90%) and had good blood compatibility. Then, rheological measurement confirmed the formation of PHEA-HP-based in situ hydrogel with a high storage modulus (G′) around 104 Pa, and the vial-tilting method revealed that the gelation time of PHEA-HP aqueous solution could be tuned in the wide range of 5–260 s by varying the concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Finally, hydrogel beads of different diameters containing methylene blue (for easy observation) were prepared using a coaxial needle and syringe pumps, and the effect of the flow rate of the outer phase on the diameters of the hydrogel beads was also investigated. Therefore, PHEA-HP may be a promising and safe poly(aspartamide) derivative that can be used to prepare in situ hydrogels and hydrogel beads for applications closely related to the human body. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Responsive Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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14 pages, 3806 KiB  
Article
Microgels of N-Isopropylacrylamide Copolymerized with an Amphiphilic Acid for the Delivery of Doxorubicin
by Teresa G. Rodriguez-Tellez, Héctor Magaña, José M. Cornejo-Bravo, Giovanni Palomino-Vizcaino and Kenia Palomino-Vizcaino
Gels 2024, 10(12), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10120806 - 7 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1138
Abstract
This study aims to design microgels that are thermo- and pH-sensitive for controlled doxorubicin (Dox) release in response to tumor microenvironment changes. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) is widely used for thermoresponsive tumor-targeted drug delivery systems for the release of therapeutic payloads in response to temperature [...] Read more.
This study aims to design microgels that are thermo- and pH-sensitive for controlled doxorubicin (Dox) release in response to tumor microenvironment changes. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) is widely used for thermoresponsive tumor-targeted drug delivery systems for the release of therapeutic payloads in response to temperature changes. Herein, a NIPAAm microgel (MP) that is responsive to temperature and pH was designed for the smart delivery of Dox. MP was made from NIPAAm, and polyethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) was copolymerized with 5%, 10%, or 15% mol of methacryloylamido hexanoic acid, (CAM5) an amphiphilic acid. We characterized the microgels using FTIR-ATR, DLS, and FESEM. The MP 10% CAM5 exhibited a particle size of 268 nm, with a transition temperature of 44 °C. MP had a drug loading capacity of 13% and entrapment efficiency of 87%. Nearly 100% of the Dox was released at pH 5 and 42 °C, compared to 30% at pH 7.4 and 37 °C. MP 10% CAM5 showed cytocompatibility in HeLa cells using the MTT assay. However, the cell viability assay showed that dox-MP was twice as effective as free Dox. Specifically, 3 μg/mL of free Dox resulted in 74% cell viability, while the same doses of Dox in NP reduced it to 35%. These results are promising for the future tumor-targeted delivery of antineoplastic-drugs, as they may reduce the side effects of Dox. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Responsive Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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15 pages, 4962 KiB  
Article
Novel, Speedy, and Eco-Friendly Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Nitrogen Doped Carbon Dots Biosensors with DFT Calculations, Molecular Docking, and Experimental Validation
by Hebat-Allah S. Tohamy
Gels 2024, 10(11), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110686 - 24 Oct 2024
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1519
Abstract
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was prepared from sugarcane bagasse (SB) in minutes using a novel microwave method. Additionally, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N–CDs) were synthesized from SB using the same microwave technique. These materials were crosslinked with CaCl2 to prepare antibacterial/antifungal hydrogel sensors. In [...] Read more.
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was prepared from sugarcane bagasse (SB) in minutes using a novel microwave method. Additionally, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N–CDs) were synthesized from SB using the same microwave technique. These materials were crosslinked with CaCl2 to prepare antibacterial/antifungal hydrogel sensors. In this regard, both CMC@Ca and CMC@Ca-N–CDs exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (Gram negative), while only CMC@Ca-N–CDs demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive). Moreover, both materials showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The molecular docking study demonstrated that CMC@Ca-N–CDs showed good binding with proteins with short bond length 2.59, 2.80, and 1.97 A° for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, respectively. These binding affinities were corroborated by the observed inhibition zone diameters. Furthermore, fluorescence microscope revealed distinct imaging patterns between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as pathogenic yeast (fungi). CMC@Ca-N–CDs emitted blue light when exposed to Escherichia coli and Candida albicans (i.e., CMC@Ca-N–CDs/Escherichia coli and Candida albicans), whereas it emitted bright-red light when exposed to Staphylococcus aureus (i.e., CMC@Ca-N–CDs/Staphylococcus aureus). This disparity in the fluorescence-emitted colors is due to the difference in the cell wall of these microorganisms. Additionally, DFT calculations were conducted to substantiate the robust chemical interactions between CMC, Ca2+, and N–CDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Responsive Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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