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Gels
Special Issues
Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials
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Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 2194

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yun Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environment and Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: biochar adsorption, flocculation, electrochemistry and other water pollution control technologies; new energy storage technology based on solid waste resources; new ecological agriculture model and supporting technology for solid waste resource recycling
Dr. Changbo Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China
Interests: environmental pollution and remediation (rice ionomics and cadmium-reducing leaf fertilizer products); environmental photochemistry of surface waters (photochemistry of iron carboxylate complex and nanobubble); application of advanced oxidation processes for pollution remediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the vast field of materials science, gel adsorbents are playing an increasingly critical role because of their unique structures and excellent properties. In order to comprehensively and deeply discuss the frontier of progress in this field, we have carefully prepared this Special Issue titled "Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials".

This Special Issue aims to build a high-level platform of academic exchange, bring together the expertise of global researchers in gel adsorbent research, promote the coming together of academic ideas, and to promote the development of gel adsorbents from theoretical research to practical application.

We warmly welcome contributions from authors on the following topics: the synthesis and preparation of novel gel adsorbents, such as the development of novel polymerization techniques and the introduction of unique functional groups to achieve the optimization of performance; exploring the adsorption mechanism of the gel adsorbent, revealing the interaction mechanism in the adsorption process at the microscopic level; innovative applications in water and air purification, biomedicine, the food industry and other fields; and strategies improving the stability, regeneration, and other key properties of the gel adsorbents.

We look forward to working with you to present the latest trends in the field of gel adsorbents and contribute to scientific research.

Dr. Yun Deng
Dr. Changbo Zhang
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

  • aerogels
  • hydrogels
  • membranes
  • films
  • adsorbents
  • removal
  • environmental science
  • novel gels
  • wastewater treatment
  • microplastic adsorption
  • drug adsorption/release
  • water-retaining agents
  • fertilizers
  • pollutant removal
  • soil nutrients
  • air purification

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2207 KB  
Article
Structure–Property Relationship in Composite Superabsorbents: How Butyl Succinate Architecture Affects Water Uptake and Phytotoxicity?
by Maria S. Lavlinskaya, Maxim S. Kondratyev and Andrey V. Sorokin
Gels 2026, 12(3), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12030227 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 302
Abstract
Composite superabsorbents (C-SAPs) that combine synthetic and polysaccharide components hold great promise for sustainable agriculture. They improve water management and enable the controlled release of agrochemicals. However, increasing the polysaccharide content to enhance biodegradability often reduces water absorption capacity. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Composite superabsorbents (C-SAPs) that combine synthetic and polysaccharide components hold great promise for sustainable agriculture. They improve water management and enable the controlled release of agrochemicals. However, increasing the polysaccharide content to enhance biodegradability often reduces water absorption capacity. In this study, we explore plasticization with succinic acid esters as a strategy to overcome this limitation. Our goal is to establish structure–property relationships between plasticizer architecture and C-SAP performance. A series of carboxymethyl cellulose-based superabsorbents was synthesized via radical copolymerization. They were then plasticized with 5 wt.% of dibutyl succinate, di-sec-butyl succinate, or di-iso-butyl succinate. The resulting materials were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheological tests, swelling kinetics, and phytotoxicity assays against oilseed radish and common oat. Increased plasticizer branching and molecular volume enhanced polymer network elasticity, lowered the glass transition temperature (by up to 6 °C), and increased the equilibrium swelling ratio by up to 64% compared to the unplasticized C-SAP (661 ± 17 vs. 402 ± 10 g/g). All plasticized C-SAPs retained more than 80% of their initial swelling capacity over five swelling–deswelling cycles across pH 3.0–9.2. They also showed no phytotoxicity at agriculturally relevant concentrations. These findings demonstrate that molecular engineering of plasticizer architecture enables simultaneous optimization of water absorption and environmental safety in C-SAPs for agricultural use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials)
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22 pages, 6292 KB  
Article
Adhesive Tape Strips and PVA–Borax Hydrogels as Alternative Cleaning Methods to Remove Fungal Proliferation on Canvas Support of Paintings
by Haizea Oliveira-Urquiri, Anxo Méndez, Pilar Bosch-Roig and Patricia Sanmartín
Gels 2026, 12(2), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12020162 - 12 Feb 2026
Viewed by 688
Abstract
Two commercial adhesive tape strips (Fungi-TapeTM and Filmoplast® P) and a polyvinyl alcohol–borax (PVA-B) gel were tested as novel physical cleaning alternatives to micro-aspiration for removing visible fungal colonisation from a cotton canvas. In addition, clove essential oil (CEO) and Cyrene™ [...] Read more.
Two commercial adhesive tape strips (Fungi-TapeTM and Filmoplast® P) and a polyvinyl alcohol–borax (PVA-B) gel were tested as novel physical cleaning alternatives to micro-aspiration for removing visible fungal colonisation from a cotton canvas. In addition, clove essential oil (CEO) and Cyrene™ were incorporated in the PVA-B gel for testing the potential of each to improve fungal cleaning. For the trials, canvas mock-ups were separately inoculated with two fungal species identified as Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus westerdijkiae. Removal of fungi and related impacts were evaluated by DOM, FESEM, ATR-FTIR and ImageJ software. Inhibition of fungal spores and residual growth were assessed by in vitro growth tests and CLSM. Removal of A. westerdijkiae was more effective than removal of P. chrysogenum, especially for dense coverage. Both tape strips removed slightly more fungus than micro-aspiration, except for dense coverage of P. chrysogenum. The PVA-B gel, both with and without CEO or Cyrene™, yielded the best (similar) results, removing the fungal material found on the surface and subsurface of canvas without damaging the canvas fibres. Although further testing is required, the antifungal activity of PVA-B gel+ Cyrene™ seems comparable to that of PVA-B gel+ CEO, the former being especially effective against A. westerdijkiae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials)
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19 pages, 6604 KB  
Article
Adsorption Characteristics of Sodium Ions by Bentonite–Humic Acid Hydrogel: A Promising Water-Retaining Agent for Saline–Alkali Soil Improvement
by Weiye Liu, Mingjie Sun, Binghua Liu, Lin Peng, Xinghong Liu, Yanping Wang, Fangchun Liu and Hailin Ma
Gels 2025, 11(11), 927; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110927 - 19 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 752
Abstract
Sodium ions are the main harmful ions in coastal saline–alkali soils, and they seriously affect crop growth and soil structure. A bentonite/humic acid composite hydrogel, synthesized via graft copolymerization as a new type of water-retaining agent, can adsorb excessive Na+ in soil, [...] Read more.
Sodium ions are the main harmful ions in coastal saline–alkali soils, and they seriously affect crop growth and soil structure. A bentonite/humic acid composite hydrogel, synthesized via graft copolymerization as a new type of water-retaining agent, can adsorb excessive Na+ in soil, thereby slowing down its adverse effects. This study used batch adsorption experiments to systematically investigate the effects of contact time, initial concentration, pH, temperature, and repeated cyclic adsorption on Na+ adsorption performance of the hydrogel material. The results indicated that Na+ equilibrium was achieved in 25 min, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 91.29 mg/g. Optimal adsorption occurred at pH 6–8.5, particularly in neutral to weakly alkaline conditions. At 30–50 °C, the bentonite substrate maintained excellent adsorption performance despite structural damage to the grafted copolymer. Mechanistic analysis revealed that adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating chemisorption-dominated monolayer adsorption controlled by both intra-particle and liquid film diffusion. These findings demonstrate the potential of bentonite-based hydrogels for remediating coastal saline–alkali soils by mitigating Na+ toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of New Gel Adsorption Materials)
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