Gel-Based Materials for Biomedical Engineering (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you and your collaborators to participate in the upcoming Special Issue of Gels on the topic of “Gel-Based Materials for Biomedical Engineering (2nd Edition)”.

Gels, or hydrogels, are colloidal systems composed of two or more phases that are commonly used in biomedical applications and usually consist of three-dimensional polymer networks and solvents. Due to their inherent biocompatibility, high water content, porosity, flexibility, and low immunogenicity, hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical fields. Examples of their applications include contact lenses, biosensors, drug delivery systems, wound healing, and tissue engineering. Polymer networks can be derived from both hydrophilic natural materials and synthetic polymers. Natural polymer hydrogels usually have good biocompatibility, but their applications are limited by their low mechanical strength and fragile nature. The mechanical properties of synthetic polymer hydrogels can be regulated by optimizing their molecular structure. However, their biological properties still need improvement. In addition, by modifying the polymer network with stimuli-responsive groups or compounding them with functional components, we can obtain “smart” hydrogels. These are distinguished by their responsiveness to different types of stimuli including thermal, light, magnetic field, chemical reagents, ultrasound, and pH. The potential applications of these hydrogels in biomedical engineering need to be further explored.

This Special Issue, entitled “Gel-Based Materials for Biomedical Engineering (2nd Edition),” aims to further explore the composition, structure, performance, and biocompatibility of gels, providing the latest research progress into gel-based materials in biomedical applications. Academics and scholars from across the field are welcome to submit original research articles and reviews on this topic.

Dr. Jieyu Zhang
Dr. Daihua Fu
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.