New Advances in Synthesis of Smart and Tough Hydrogel
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 30
Special Issue Editors
Interests: 3D micro/nanostructure; 3D printing; MEMS/NEMS; surface modification; smart gel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: nanogenerators; soft electronics; nanoelectronics; iontronics; nanomaterials; smart gel
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent developments in the field of hydrogel science have significantly advanced soft materials research, leading to the emergence of smart and tough hydrogels with exceptional mechanical resilience, adaptive responsiveness, and multi-functionality. These hydrogels hold great promise for applications across biomedical engineering, soft robotics, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and environmental remediation.
We would like to invite you to submit your latest research and comprehensive review articles to this Special Issue of Gels, "New Advances in Synthesis of Smart and Tough Hydrogel". It aims to cover innovative synthetic strategies, characterization techniques, and structure–property relationships that contribute to the development of next-generation hydrogels with superior mechanical robustness and smart functionalities. This topic fits within the scope of Gels, which focuses on the design, synthesis, and application of gel materials across diverse scientific and engineering disciplines.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- The design and synthesis of tough or double-network hydrogels;
- Stimuli-responsive and self-healing hydrogel systems;
- Nanocomposite or hybrid hydrogels;
- Bioinspired and biomimetic hydrogel strategies;
- Injectable and printable hydrogel formulations;
- Applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wearable electronics, or environmental systems;
- Structure–property–performance correlations;
- Advanced characterization techniques for hydrogels.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Jongkyeong Lim
Dr. Lingyun Wang
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
- smart hydrogel
- tough hydrogel
- stimuli-responsive
- hydrogel
- double-network hydrogel
- self-healing material
- injectable hydrogel
- 3D printing
- tissue engineering
- nanocomposite hydrogel
- soft robotics
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