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Gels
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Innovative Gels: Structure, Properties, and Emerging Applications
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Innovative Gels: Structure, Properties, and Emerging Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 794

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teodora Staicu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blvd., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: polymers; surfactants; polymer rheology; biopolymers; hydrogels; pressure-sensitive adhesives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marin Micutz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Regina Elisabeta Blvd., 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: pressure-sensitive adhesives; polymer synthesis; collagen extraction and processing; collagen-based materials; polymer/biopolymer gels; polymer-surfactant interactions; rheology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As physically and/or chemically crosslinked 3D systems, gels have received much attention in recent decades, to such an extent that most fundamental and applied research in the field of materials refers, more or less, to the gel state of matter.

Depending on the nature of the immobilized liquid phase, there are two general kinds of gels: hydrogels—in which the majority of the liquid phase is aqueous—and organogels—in which the immobilized liquid consists of an organic solvent or a homogenous mixture of organic solvents, irrespective of the characteristics of the gelator(s) (natural, synthetic, or with low or high molecular mass) and the attractive interactions (physical or chemical between gelator molecules) through which the entire gel-like system is crosslinked.

Beyond the countless applications of hydrogels and organogels in chemistry, radiochemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, reconstruction and regenerative medicine, cosmetics, the food industry, biotechnology, and environmental protection, it is important and necessary to strive for the continuous adjustment and development of methods for the investigation and characterization of such complex systems.

Considering that gels can generally be studied and characterized in their swollen (as-prepared) and/or dry state (via air-drying or freeze-drying), this Special Issue focuses on the latest results, obtained using appropriate methods of investigation, characterization, and analyses, regarding the relationships between the structural peculiarities of such 3D networks, as well as their properties and potential applications.

Dr. Teodora Staicu
Dr. Marin Micutz
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

  • hydrogels
  • organogels
  • gel characterization
  • gel properties
  • gel applications

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4277 KiB  
Article
The Behaviour of Contaflex Soft Contact Lens Material During Hydration
by Joseph Towler, Markus Zaplachinski, Roberto Montiel, Nikhil Murari, Christine Deng, Rimmo Lego, Arwa Fathy and Ahmed Abass
Gels 2025, 11(5), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11050376 - 21 May 2025
Abstract
The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the swelling and transparency behaviour of Contaflex soft contact lens materials with varying water-content (38–77%) using high-resolution digital imaging and infrared LiDAR. Contaflex materials with 38%, 55%, 58%, 67% and 77% nominal water-contents, denoted [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the swelling and transparency behaviour of Contaflex soft contact lens materials with varying water-content (38–77%) using high-resolution digital imaging and infrared LiDAR. Contaflex materials with 38%, 55%, 58%, 67% and 77% nominal water-contents, denoted as C38, C55, C58, C67, and C77, were tested. Hydrogel samples (N = 5 per group) were monitored over 24 h in pH 7.1 phosphate-buffered saline. Dimensional changes were assessed via linear and radial expansion factors (LEF and REF), and transparency was tracked during hydration. All groups exhibited rapid initial swelling followed by continued expansion. LEF and REF values increased with water-content; C77 reached LEF and REF values of 1.563 ± 0.093 and 1.536 ± 0.052, while C38 stabilised near 1.201 ± 0.019 and 1.179 ± 0.011, respectively. Refractive index decreased with hydration, from 1.552 in C38 to 1.372 in C77. Power simulations revealed deviations beyond ISO tolerance limits in most materials, particularly those with higher water-content. Transparency changes were consistent with swelling dynamics. These findings support the need for material-specific design adjustments to account for hydration-related dimensional and optical changes in soft contact lenses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Gels: Structure, Properties, and Emerging Applications)
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17 pages, 7093 KiB  
Article
Hydration Mechanism of Solid Waste Gelling Materials Containing Semi-Dry Desulfurization Ash
by Yunyun Li, Siqi Zhang, Meixiang Huang, Guodong Yang, Jiajie Li, Mengqi Ma, Wentao Hu and Wen Ni
Gels 2025, 11(3), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030193 - 11 Mar 2025
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Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility of using semi-dry desulfurization ash (DA) in combination with blast furnace slag (BFS) to prepare gelling materials, aiming to improve the resource utilization of DA. The effects of DA dosage and mechanical grinding on the compressive strength and [...] Read more.
This study investigated the feasibility of using semi-dry desulfurization ash (DA) in combination with blast furnace slag (BFS) to prepare gelling materials, aiming to improve the resource utilization of DA. The effects of DA dosage and mechanical grinding on the compressive strength and hydration mechanism of BFS-DA gelling materials were investigated. The results showed that the optimum BFS-DA ratio was 60:40, and the compressive strengths were 14.21 MPa, 20.24 MPa, 43.50 MPa, and 46.27 MPa at 3, 7, 28, and 56 days, respectively. Mechanical grinding greatly improved the activity of the gel materials, with the greatest increase in compressive strength at 3, 7, 28, and 90 days for the BFS and DA mixed milled for 30 min, with increases of 89.86%, 66.36%, 24.56%, and 25.68%, respectively, and compressive strength of 26.22 MPa, 35.6 MPa, 58.33 MPa, and 63.97 MPa, respectively. The cumulative heat of hydration of BFS-DA slurry was about 120 J/g. The hydration mechanism showed that the main hydration products formed were ettringite, C-S-H gel, AFm, and Friedel’s salt. Calcium sulfite in DA was participated in the hydration, and a new hydration product, Ca4Al2O6SO3·11H2O, was formed. DA can be effectively used to prepare BFS-based gelling materials, and its performance meets the requirements of GB/T 28294-2024 standard, which provides a potential solution for the utilization of DA resources and the reduction in the impact on the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Gels: Structure, Properties, and Emerging Applications)
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