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Gels
Special Issues
Cellulose Gels: Properties and Prospective Applications
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Cellulose Gels: Properties and Prospective Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2025 | Viewed by 1177

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaopeng Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: genetic improvement of wood properties; wood quality; nanocellulose; hydrogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanocellulose is cellulose in the form of nanostructures with a lateral dimension <100 nm. Nanocellulose has three sub-categories, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), based on its synthesis, morphology, and other properties. Due to its renewability, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and large surface area, nanocellulose is a promising material for industrial, technological, and biomedical applications. The abundant hydroxyl groups exposed at the surface can be modified to exhibit other properties, extending nanocellulose’s potential industrial applications. Hydrogel refers to a class of soft materials formed by a porous three-dimensional network of crosslinked polymer chains that hold large quantities of water (up to 99.9%). They are produced from natural or synthetic sources and show unique properties, including biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties. Hydrogels can be synthesized to become environmentally sensitive by altering their structure and properties upon changes in pH, ionic strength, pressure, light, temperature, and electric and magnetic fields. Hence, these are engineerable materials for multiple technological and industrial applications. Hydrogels are particularly promising in the fields of biology and medicine. Nanocellulose hydrogels are highly hydrated porous cellulosic soft materials with good mechanical properties. These cellulose-based gels can be produced from bacterial or plant cellulose nanofibrils, which are hydrophilic, renewable, biodegradable and biocompatible. Cellulose functionalization provides enhanced physical and chemical properties and control of biological interactions, tailoring its hydrogels for specific applications. At present, nanocellulose hydrogels have emerged as a highly engineerable platform for multiple biomedical applications, providing renewable and performant solutions to life sciences.

We invite you to submit work representing the recent progress related to the engineering of nanocellulose hydrogels for applications to this Special Issue, to facilitate in the transition of these systems from the laboratory to industrial production.

Dr. Xiaopeng Peng
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
  • nanocellulose
  • cellulose nanocrystals
  • nanofibrillated cellulose
  • bacterial nanocellulose
  • biodegradable
  • biocompatible

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6647 KiB  
Article
Influence of Starch Cross-Linking on the Performance of Cellulose Aerogels for Oil Spills Sorption
by Rafael Picazo Espinosa, Jochen Uebe, Marija Katarzyte and Tatjana Paulauskiene
Gels 2025, 11(6), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060386 (registering DOI) - 24 May 2025
Abstract
Oil spills represent a significant environmental threat due to the toxicity of hydrocarbons, particularly in aquatic environments where oil rapidly spreads across the surface. Sustainable sorbents are needed for an efficient and eco-friendly response to oil spills. Cellulose aerogels produced from recycled paper [...] Read more.
Oil spills represent a significant environmental threat due to the toxicity of hydrocarbons, particularly in aquatic environments where oil rapidly spreads across the surface. Sustainable sorbents are needed for an efficient and eco-friendly response to oil spills. Cellulose aerogels produced from recycled paper and cardboard exhibit promising properties such as buoyancy, light weight, biocompatibility, and recyclability. Mechanical stability and reusability can be enhanced using cross-linkers such as starch. This study evaluated the impact of starch on cellulose aerogel morphology, sorption capacity for various petroleum products (crude oil, marine diesel, and lubricating oil), and reusability using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental mapping. Aerogels containing 0.5 and 1 wt% starch showed higher porosity, sorption capacity, and reusability. Starch did not affect hydrophobization or significantly alter nitrogen and carbon levels, indicating limited influence on surface chemistry and adsorption performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Gels: Properties and Prospective Applications)
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30 pages, 5685 KiB  
Article
Development of Polyampholyte Cellulose-Based Hydrogels for Diapers with Improved Biocompatibility
by Beatriz Simões, Rafael C. Rebelo, Sara Ledesma, Patrícia Pereira, Rui Moreira, Brígida C. Ferreira, Jorge F. J. Coelho and Arménio C. Serra
Gels 2025, 11(4), 282; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040282 - 10 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 468
Abstract
Non-biodegradable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in personal care products (PCPs) pose significant environmental and health concerns despite their high absorption capacity. The aim of this study was to develop cellulose-based hydrogels as a sustainable alternative to those conventional SAPs, taking advantage of cellulose properties [...] Read more.
Non-biodegradable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in personal care products (PCPs) pose significant environmental and health concerns despite their high absorption capacity. The aim of this study was to develop cellulose-based hydrogels as a sustainable alternative to those conventional SAPs, taking advantage of cellulose properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and hydrophilicity. A synthesized allyl cellulose (AC) derivative was copolymerized with unusual monomers used in the production of SAPs, and the influence of monomer ratios, crosslinking density, and the ratio of cellulose to monomers on the absorption capacity was investigated and optimized. The most promising hydrogels were fully characterized for the proposed application and compared with a commercial SAP extracted from a baby diaper. The cellulose-based hydrogels showed promising absorption capacities in synthetic urine (~15 g/g), and a high centrifuge retention capacity (12.5 g/g), which was only slightly lower than the commercial SAP. These new hydrogels exhibited excellent biocompatibility and outperformed the established commercial diaper SAP. This study represents a more sustainable alternative to conventional SAPs, potentially reducing health risks while increasing the bio-based content of PCPs. Further optimization of these hydrogels could transform the hygiene product industry, by providing a balance between performance and environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Gels: Properties and Prospective Applications)
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24 pages, 8116 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Capacitance of CNF–Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Composite Cryogels in Different Electrolyte Solutions for an Eco-Friendly Supercapacitor
by Vanja Kokol, Subramanian Lakshmanan and Vera Vivod
Gels 2025, 11(4), 265; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040265 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 325
Abstract
Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are promising materials for flexible and green supercapacitor electrodes, while Ti3C2Tx MXene exhibits high specific capacitance. However, the diffusion limitation of ions and chemical instability in the generally used highly basic (KOH, MXene oxidation) or [...] Read more.
Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are promising materials for flexible and green supercapacitor electrodes, while Ti3C2Tx MXene exhibits high specific capacitance. However, the diffusion limitation of ions and chemical instability in the generally used highly basic (KOH, MXene oxidation) or acidic (H2SO4, CNF degradation) electrolytes limits their performance and durability. Herein, freestanding CNF/MXene cryogel membranes were prepared by deep freeze-casting (at −50 and −80 °C), using different weight percentages of components (10, 50, 90), and evaluated for their structural and physico-chemical stability in other less aggressive aqueous electrolyte solutions (Na2/Mg/Mn/K2-SO4, Na2CO3), to examine the influence of the ions transport on their pseudocapacitive properties. While the membrane prepared with 50 wt% (2.5 mg/cm2) of MXene loading at −80 °C shrank in a basic Na2CO3 electrolyte, the capacitance was performed via the forming of an electroactive layer on its interface, giving it high stability (90% after 3 days of cycling) but lower capacitance (8 F/g at 2 mV/s) than in H2SO4 (25 F/g). On the contrary, slightly acidic electrolytes extended the cations’ transport path due to excessive but still size-limited diffusion of the hydrated ions (SO42− > Na+ > Mn2+ > Mg2+) during membrane swelling, which blocked it, reducing the electroactive surface area and lowering conductivities (<3 F/g). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellulose Gels: Properties and Prospective Applications)
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