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Gels
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Recent Progress and Advances in Conductive or Smart Functional Polymer...
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Recent Progress and Advances in Conductive or Smart Functional Polymer Gels

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1821

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hyunchul Ahn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: hydrogel; soft matter; microgel; composites; scaffold; modeling
Prof. Dr. Seongcheol Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: hydrogel; biomaterial; polymer synthesis; additives; conductive gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue titled “Recent Progress and Advances in Conductive or Smart Functional Polymer Gels” focuses on the latest developments in conductive and smart functional polymer gels. Polymer gels are increasingly recognized as versatile materials in industries, including applications in organic advanced materials, sensors, energy devices, and medical applications. This issue will focus on the synthesis, structural design, and functional enhancement of these materials and their utilization in various fields such as biomedicine, energy storage, wearable, and electronic devices. Furthermore, it will explore challenges, innovative solutions, and emerging trends in developing novel conductive and functional polymer gels.

This Special Issue invites submissions of original research articles and comprehensive reviews and highlights recent advancements and practical applications in this field. Contributions addressing challenges and providing innovative solutions to enhance the functionality and performance of polymer gels are especially welcome. This Special Issue aims to foster collaboration and innovation by bringing together cutting-edge research, paving the way for new breakthroughs in conductive and functional polymer gel technologies.

Dr. Hyunchul Ahn
Prof. Dr. Seongcheol Kim
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

  • conducive gel
  • functional gel
  • smart gel and composites
  • hydrogel
  • biomedical gel
  • energy application
  • gel synthesis and design
  • gel modeling and characterization
  • scaffold and structure

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1166 KB  
Article
Time-Dependent Network-Forming Dispersion Behavior of Barium Titanate Slurries and Their Impact on Green Sheet Properties
by Haejin Park, Seongho Lee, Yunbi Lee, Seohyeon Lee, Yewon Lee, Yujeong Ahn, Hyunchul Ahn and Junheon Lee
Gels 2026, 12(2), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12020150 - 7 Feb 2026
Viewed by 471
Abstract
In the fabrication of ultrathin multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), the long-term stability of ceramic slurries is a critical yet often overlooked factor that can significantly influence coating uniformity, interfacial adhesion, and process reproducibility. Despite its industrial importance, the time-dependent evolution of slurry dispersion [...] Read more.
In the fabrication of ultrathin multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), the long-term stability of ceramic slurries is a critical yet often overlooked factor that can significantly influence coating uniformity, interfacial adhesion, and process reproducibility. Despite its industrial importance, the time-dependent evolution of slurry dispersion structures during storage and its direct impact on green sheet properties remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the time-dependent physicochemical evolution of barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based green sheet slurries, which behave as colloidal gel-like dispersion systems, and their influence on the structural, optical, and interfacial properties of the resulting sheets. Dynamic light scattering revealed progressive yet uniform particle aggregation, while viscosity measurements indicated a gradual ~10% decrease over 960 h, reflecting reduced dispersion stability and progressive weakening of the slurry gel network during extended storage. The slurry, consisting of BaTiO3 particles, polymeric binders, and plasticizers, forms a three-dimensional transient gel network, in which particle–particle and particle–binder interactions govern rheological behavior. The observed viscosity decrease and turbidity reduction indicate gel network relaxation and partial gel–sol–like transition behavior driven by aggregation. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that these changes produced a measurable reduction in final green sheet thickness, despite identical processing conditions. Furthermore, peel tests revealed that interfacial adhesion strength increased with storage time, attributable to localized solid enrichment within the slurry gel matrix and enhanced bonding at the release film interface. The reduced coating thickness also contributed to lower optical haze, reflecting a shortened light-transmission path. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that even moderate aggregation in a ceramic network-forming dispersion system substantially alters coating behavior, adhesion, and optical performance. The results underscore the importance of managing gel-network stability and rheology to ensure reliable green sheet fabrication and storage in MLCC manufacturing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress and Advances in Conductive or Smart Functional Polymer Gels)
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15 pages, 2150 KB  
Article
Liquid Metal Particles–Graphene Core–Shell Structure Enabled Hydrogel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators
by Sangkeun Oh, Yoonsu Lee, Jungin Yang, Yejin Lee, Seoyeon Won, Sang Sub Han, Jung Han Kim and Taehwan Lim
Gels 2026, 12(1), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010086 - 19 Jan 2026
Viewed by 897
Abstract
The development of flexible and self-powered electronic systems requires triboelectric materials that combine high charge retention, mechanical compliance, and stable dielectric properties. Here, we report a redox reaction approach to prepare liquid metal particle-reduced graphene oxide (LMP@rGO) core–shell structures and introduce into a [...] Read more.
The development of flexible and self-powered electronic systems requires triboelectric materials that combine high charge retention, mechanical compliance, and stable dielectric properties. Here, we report a redox reaction approach to prepare liquid metal particle-reduced graphene oxide (LMP@rGO) core–shell structures and introduce into a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogel to create a high-performance triboelectric layer. The spontaneous interfacial reaction between gallium oxide of LMP and graphene oxide produces a conformal rGO shell while simultaneously removing the native insulating oxide layer onto the LMP surface, resulting in enhanced colloidal stability and a controllable semiconductive bandgap of 2.7 (0.01 wt%), 2.9 (0.005 wt%) and 3.2 eV (0.001 wt%). Increasing the GO content promotes more complete core–shell formation, leading to higher zeta potentials, stronger interfacial polarization, and higher electrical performance. After embedding in PAA, the LMP@rGO structures form hydrogen-bonding networks with the hydrogel nature, improving both dielectric constant and charge retention while notably preserving soft mechanical compliance. The resulting LMP@rGO/PAA hydrogels show enhanced triboelectric output, with the 2.0 wt/vol% composite generating sufficient power to illuminate more than half of 504 series-connected LEDs. All the results demonstrate the potential of LMP@rGO hydrogel composites as promising triboelectric layer materials for next-generation wearable and self-powered electronic systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress and Advances in Conductive or Smart Functional Polymer Gels)
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