Advanced Functional Gels for Environmental and Energy Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 February 2027 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editors
Interests: electrocatalysis; porous materials; material design; interface engineering; microenvironment engineering; functional gels
Interests: electrocatalysis; bio-electrocatalysis; nano-material design; small molecular synthesis; environmental catalytic and conversion; aerogel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Addressing the interconnected challenges of environmental sustainability and clean energy production demands innovative materials and technologies. Functional gels, with their highly tunable three-dimensional networks, exceptional porosity, and versatile chemical functionalities, have emerged as a transformative class of materials. Their unique properties—such as stimulus responsiveness, high surface area, and the ability to create controlled microenvironments—make them exceptionally suited for advanced applications in pollution control, resource recovery, and energy conversion and storage.
This Special Issue, entitled “Advanced Functional Gels for Environmental and Energy Applications,” aims to compile cutting-edge research and review articles that showcase the design, synthesis, and implementation of gel-based systems for a sustainable future. We seek contributions that explore how these soft, porous materials can be engineered to tackle critical issues, including but not limited to, the following: the catalytic degradation or adsorption of pollutants (in water and air), the capture and conversion of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2), advanced sensing and monitoring, and their use in energy-related technologies such as electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, batteries, and supercapacitors. A key focus lies in understanding the structure–property–application relationships that govern their performance.
We invite submissions that highlight novel gel architectures (e.g., supramolecular gels, nanocomposite hydrogels, and aerogels), smart functionalities, and their integration into practical devices or systems. This Special Issue intends to bridge the fields of materials science, chemistry, environmental engineering, and energy technology, thus fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on how advanced functional gels can provide sustainable solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges.
Dr. Chang Zhu
Dr. Libin Zeng
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 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
- functional gels
- electrocatalysis
- pollution control
- energy storage
- gel electrolytes
- hydrogels
- microenvironment engineering
- porous electrodes
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