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Recent Advances in Biopolymer Gels (2nd Edition)
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Recent Advances in Biopolymer Gels (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 336

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luis Morales-Quintana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Multidisciplinary Agroindustry Research Laboratory, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca 3467987, Chile
Interests: controlled release; drug-delivery; hydrogels; molecular dynamics simulations; nanoencapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Milton Vázquez-Lepe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Project Engineering, University Center for Exact Sciences and Engineering, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco 44430, Mexico
Interests: XPS chemical analysis; nanostructures; polymers composites; mechanical properties; metal ions adsorption

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on the utilization of natural biopolymer gels such as chitosan, alginate, BHA, and cellulose. These gels are known for their low cost, biodegradability as environmentally friendly resources, and wide availability. Due to their remarkable affinity for contaminant compounds like heavy metal ions, toxins, organic solvents, and organic molecules, biopolymer gels are gaining increasing attention as renewable alternative feedstocks in the production of biopolymers as a possible solution to several environmental challenges. Additionally, this Special Issue will explore the diverse applications of biopolymer gels in the food industry. Macro- and nanoscale food-grade materials are commonly used to enhance food products. These materials serve various purposes, including for antimicrobial food packaging and the targeted delivery of biomolecules, enzymes, and probiotics. They are versatile in their ability to modify food matrix structures and functional properties, playing roles as carriers and acting in target/multistage delivery, foam formation, biomolecule conjugation, gelling systems, and colloidal formation.

Dr. Luis Morales-Quintana
Dr. Milton Vázquez-Lepe
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

  • synthesis and characterization of biodegradable biopolymers
  • approaches for biodegradable biopolymers (wastewater treatment)
  • biodegradable biopolymeric material with properties of detoxification, bioremediation, or bio-absorption
  • biopolymer gels in the food industry
  • biopolymer gels for controlled release

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 4155 KiB  
Article
Performance Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of a Composite Hydrogel Composed of Oxidized κ-Carrageenan, Acrylamide, and Silver-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks
by Bo Qi, Zhaoyu Li, Chuang Pan, Yongqiang Zhao, Xiaoshan Long, Chunsheng Li, Yueqi Wang, Xiao Hu, Di Wang and Shaoling Yang
Gels 2025, 11(6), 407; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060407 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 121
Abstract
To advance seaweed polysaccharide applications in hydrogel wound dressings, five antibacterial composite hydrogels (groups A~E) were synthesized using oxidized κ-carrageenan (OKC), acrylamide (AM), and progressively increasing concentrations of silver-based metal–organic frameworks (Ag-MOFs). Systematic characterization revealed concentration-dependent effects: (1) positive correlations were obtained for [...] Read more.
To advance seaweed polysaccharide applications in hydrogel wound dressings, five antibacterial composite hydrogels (groups A~E) were synthesized using oxidized κ-carrageenan (OKC), acrylamide (AM), and progressively increasing concentrations of silver-based metal–organic frameworks (Ag-MOFs). Systematic characterization revealed concentration-dependent effects: (1) positive correlations were obtained for the moisture content (MC, maximized at 82.70% in E) and antibacterial efficacy (dose-dependent enhancement); (2) negative impacts were obtained for the swelling ratio (SR, E: 479% vs. A: 808%); and (3) high-dose drawbacks but low-dose benefits in terms of water resistance (WR), tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EB), and microstructure were obtained. Group B demonstrated optimal Ag-MOFs loading, enhancing TS and EB, while excessive Ag-MOFs loading in C~E significantly degraded them (p < 0.05). Microstructural analysis showed severe 3D spatial damage in D~E. Furthermore, cytocompatibility assessments revealed that all groups maintained a cell viability exceeding 90%, demonstrating excellent biocompatibility. Among them, A~C showed a viability statistically equivalent to the control (p > 0.05) and were significantly higher than D~E (p < 0.05). In conclusion, group B emerged as the optimal Ag-MOFs formulation and exhibited superior WR, enhanced mechanical strength (TS and EB), and potent antibacterial activity while maintaining microstructural integrity and excellent biosafety. This Ag-MOFs/OKC/PAM hydrogel provides dual infection prevention and tissue support, maximizing seaweed polysaccharide benefits with excellent biocompatibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Biopolymer Gels (2nd Edition))
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