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Gels
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Multi-Functional Hydrogels
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Recent Advances in Multi-Functional Hydrogels

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2579

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wenshan Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: tough hydrogels; functional hydrogels; soft matter materials; organometallic chemistry; structure and reactivity
Dr. Liang Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: tough hydrogels; functional hydrogels; elastomers; soft matter materials; luminescent hydrogels
Dr. Huijie Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Bioresources Chemical and Materials Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021, China
Interests: biomass-based hydrogels; shape memory hydrogels; tough hydrogels; structure of hydrogels; physically crosslinked hydrogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymeric hydrogels, as a vital class of soft materials, are composed of three-dimensional networks that can retain a substantial amount of water. Over the past two decades, hydrogels have garnered extensive attention in both fundamental research and practical applications due to their unique combination of solid and liquid properties. A wide range of innovative hydrogels with multiple functionalities—such as thermo-sensitivity, photo-sensitivity, pH sensitivity, strain sensitivity, shape memory, magnetism, conductivity, luminescence, adhesion, self-healing, anti-fouling, and suitability for 3D printing—have been developed. These multifunctional hydrogels have shown promise in various applications, including biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, flexible electronic devices, zinc-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and soft robotics.

Despite the significant advancements made, the field of functional hydrogels remains an active and critical area of research. The growing interest in these materials stems from the ongoing pursuit to design and synthesize hydrogels with new or enhanced functions.

This Special Issue on "Recent Advances in Multi-functional Hydrogels" aims to showcase high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews that highlight the latest breakthroughs in this dynamic and interdisciplinary field. We welcome contributions that explore various aspects of hydrogels, including, but not limited to, biomedical, thermo-sensitive, self-healing, tough, and 3D-printed.

Prof. Dr. Wenshan Ren
Dr. Liang Chen
Dr. Huijie 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 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

  • thermo-sensitive hydrogels
  • photo-sensitive hydrogels
  • self-healing hydrogels
  • anti-fouling hydrogels
  • tough and strong hydrogels
  • biomedical hydrogels
  • luminescent hydrogels
  • hydrogel adhesives
  • hydrogel sensors
  • 3D-printed hydrogels
  • hydrogel-based soft actuators
  • hydrogel-based electronics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 31617 KiB  
Article
The Effect of the Conformation Process on the Physicochemical Properties of Carboxymethylcellulose–Starch Hydrogels
by Priscila Vedovello, Robert Silva Paiva, Ricardo Bortoletto-Santos, Caue Ribeiro and Fernando Ferrari Putti
Gels 2025, 11(3), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030183 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 496
Abstract
This study discusses the preparation of biopolymeric hydrogels (a biomaterial) via different techniques, such as casting and extrusion, to compare the effects of the process and the use of citric acid as a crosslinker on the morphology, physicochemical properties, and degree of swelling [...] Read more.
This study discusses the preparation of biopolymeric hydrogels (a biomaterial) via different techniques, such as casting and extrusion, to compare the effects of the process and the use of citric acid as a crosslinker on the morphology, physicochemical properties, and degree of swelling of the hydrogel. Casting is widely used for its low cost and space-saving nature, but upscaling is problematic. Extrusion offers a way to produce materials in large quantities; these materials can undergo mechanical and thermal energy, which can significantly alter their properties. The samples obtained by extrusion had porous surfaces, which are critical for the water penetration and swelling of superabsorbent hydrogels. In contrast, the hydrogels produced by casting did not form pores, resulting in a lower degree of swelling. Extrusion increased the degree of swelling threefold due to the formation of pores, influencing water absorption and diffusion dynamics, especially in samples with higher starch content, where crosslinking occurred more effectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Multi-Functional Hydrogels)
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13 pages, 1137 KiB  
Article
Optimization of the Oxygen Permeability of Non-Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses Through Crosslinking Modifications
by Clara Lim, María García-Montero, Andrew Courtis, Paul Hainey, David Madrid-Costa and Almudena Crooke
Gels 2024, 10(11), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110726 - 9 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1604
Abstract
The main weakness of non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses is their low oxygen permeability (Dk). Hence, we have tried to optimize their Dk using various concentrations and lengths of the poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate crosslinker in a mixture of N,N-Dimethylacrylamide and Cyclohexyl methacrylate monomers. [...] Read more.
The main weakness of non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses is their low oxygen permeability (Dk). Hence, we have tried to optimize their Dk using various concentrations and lengths of the poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate crosslinker in a mixture of N,N-Dimethylacrylamide and Cyclohexyl methacrylate monomers. After synthesizing the different contact lenses, we evaluated their chemical, optical, and mechanical properties. The resultant non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses presented similar high water contents (75.69–80.60%) and adequate optical (e.g., a transmittance ranging from 85.91% to 99.91% and a refractive index between 1.3630 and 1.3740) and elongation at break (178.95–356.05%) characteristics for clinical applications. Conversely, they presented high contact angles (81.00–100.00°) and a low Young’s modulus (0.066–0.167 MPa). Regarding the impact of the crosslinking modifications, the water content, contact angle, refractive index, transmittance, and Young’s modulus of the synthesized lenses were slightly affected by crosslinker conditions. In contrast, the elongation at break (178.95–356.05%) and, more importantly, the oxygen permeability, which reached values of up to 73.90 Fatt units, were considerably impacted by the crosslinker conditions. To our knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time that, in addition to water, other usual hydrogel components, like crosslinkers, can modulate the Dk of non-silicone contact lenses. It also provides a simple and scalable method to fabricate more permeable non-silicone lenses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Multi-Functional Hydrogels)
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