Recent Advances in Smart and Tough Hydrogels
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editors
Interests: tough hydrogels; hydrogel coatings; hydrogel interfaces; biomedical hydrogels; hydrogel sensors
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hydrogels, as water-swollen polymeric networks, have long been recognized for their exceptional biocompatibility and similarity to biological tissues, making them promising candidates in biomedical engineering, soft robotics, and wearable electronics. However, traditional hydrogels often suffer from inherent limitations, such as poor mechanical toughness and limited responsiveness to external stimuli—two critical bottlenecks that have hindered their practical applications. To address these challenges and showcase cutting-edge innovations in the field, the Special Issue "Recent Advances in Smart and Tough Hydrogels" brings together a collection of high-quality research papers and review articles from leading scholars worldwide, offering a comprehensive overview of the latest breakthroughs, emerging trends, and future directions in smart and tough hydrogel development.
The Special Issue opens with several foundational studies focusing on novel material design strategies for enhancing hydrogel toughness. Contributors explore approaches such as double-network cross-linking, nanocomposite reinforcement, and dynamic bond engineering, which significantly improve mechanical strength, stretchability, and self-healing capabilities without compromising biocompatibility.
Complementing the mechanical performance studies, the issue also highlights advances in smart responsiveness—a key feature that enables hydrogels to adapt to environmental changes (e.g., pH, temperature, light, and magnetic fields). Research articles in this section present stimuli-responsive hydrogels for targeted drug delivery, shape-memory soft robots, and wearable sensors. These works not only expand the functional diversity of hydrogels but also bridge the gap between lab-scale prototypes and real-world applications.
Furthermore, the Special Issue includes insightful review articles that synthesize current research progress and identify critical challenges. One review systematically analyzes the structure–property relationships of tough hydrogels, providing guidelines for rational material design. Another review discusses the translational potential of smart hydrogels in clinical settings, addressing issues such as scalability, long-term stability, and biocompatibility.
By integrating fundamental research, technical innovations, and application perspectives, this Special Issue serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and students working in materials science, biomedical engineering, and soft robotics. It not only highlights the remarkable progress made in smart and tough hydrogels in recent years but also identifies promising avenues for future exploration—such as multi-stimuli responsiveness, integration with advanced manufacturing techniques, and the development of eco-friendly hydrogel systems. Ultimately, this collection of works advances our understanding of hydrogel materials and accelerates their transition from academic research to practical technologies that address global challenges in healthcare, robotics, and beyond.
Prof. Dr. Qiang Chen
Prof. Dr. Xiangling Gu
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
- high-strength hydrogels
- tough hydrogels
- smart hydrogels
- hydrogel coatings
- biomedical hydrogels
- hydrogel interfaces
- hydrogel sensors
- hydrogel robots
- hydrogel machines
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