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Gels
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Innovative Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition)
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Innovative Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 3934

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diana Elena Ciolacu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Polymer Physical Chemistry, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi, Romania
Interests: cellulose; hydrogel; cross-linking; nanocellulose; lignin; polyssacharides; drug release
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Florin Ciolacu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Natural and Synthetic Polymers, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania
Interests: biopolymers; cellulose; hemicelluloses; lignin; chitosan; nanocelluloses; nanopaper; nanomaterials; paper technology and wet-end chemistry; deinking technology; physics of fibrous structures; paper rheology; polymer-based conservation materials; polymer-based papermaking additives; paper-based microfluidics; active and smart paper-based packaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are extremely versatile materials with the potential for wide use in various fields. Their exceptional physicochemical characteristics allow them to be applied from environmental and agricultural applications to pharmaceutical and biomedical areas. Research efforts to upgrade hydrogels into ever-more sophisticated materials with ever-more complex structures and properties require extensive interdisciplinary collaboration (chemistry, biology, and material science) in order to accomplish highly specific and complex biological tasks and to effectively mimic their bio-counterpart.

This Special Issue aims to focus attention on the cutting-edge knowledge related to biopolymer-based hydrogels, to highlight the progress of them in multidisciplinary fields, and to emphasize the new challenges and opportunities, respectively.

We welcome original research articles and review papers related to new strategies in the design of the chemical compositions, functionalities, and properties of hydrogels, as well as the tailoring of the hydrogel performances in controlled drug delivery, wound dressings, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, gene therapy, cell immobilization, hygiene products, and many others.

Dr. Diana Elena Ciolacu
Dr. Florin Ciolacu
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 2600 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

  • biopolymers
  • hydrogels
  • biomaterials
  • stimuli-responsive
  • drug delivery
  • wound healing
  • tissue engineering
  • regenerative medicine

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4525 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Activity of Artemisia dracunculus Oil-Loaded Agarose/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Hydrogel for Bio-Applications
by Cristina Mihaela Rîmbu, Diana Serbezeanu, Tăchiță Vlad-Bubulac, Dana Mihaela Suflet, Iuliana Motrescu, Constantin Lungoci, Teodor Robu, Narcisa Vrînceanu, Mariana Grecu, Andreea Paula Cozma, Lenuța Fotea, Dragoș Constantin Anița, Ivona Popovici and Cristina Elena Horhogea
Gels 2024, 10(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10010026 - 28 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1224
Abstract
In this study, the potential use of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil in bio-applications was investigated. Firstly, the phytochemicals from Artemisia dracunculus were analyzed by different methods. Secondly, the Artemisia dracunculus essential oil was incorporated into the hydrogel matrix based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) [...] Read more.
In this study, the potential use of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil in bio-applications was investigated. Firstly, the phytochemicals from Artemisia dracunculus were analyzed by different methods. Secondly, the Artemisia dracunculus essential oil was incorporated into the hydrogel matrix based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and agar (A). The structural, morphological, and physical properties of the hydrogel matrix loaded with different amounts of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil were thoroughly investigated. FTIR analysis revealed the successful loading of the essential oil Artemisia dracunculus into the PVA/A hydrogel matrix. The influence of the mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity of the PVA/A hydrogel matrix loaded with different amounts of Artemisia dracunculus was also assessed. The antimicrobial activity of Artemisia dracunculus (EO Artemisia dracunculus) essential oil was tested using the disk diffusion method and the time-kill assay method after entrapment in the PVA/A hydrogel matrices. The results showed that PVA/agar-based hydrogels loaded with EO Artemisia dracunculus exhibited significant antimicrobial activity (log reduction ratio in the range of 85.5111–100%) against nine pathogenic isolates, both Gram-positive (S. aureus, MRSA, E. faecalis, L. monocytogenes) and Gram-negative (E. coli, K. pneumoniae, S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, and A. salmonicida). The resulted biocompatible polymers proved to have enhanced properties when functionalized with the essential oil of Artemisia dracunculus, offering opportunities and possibilities for novel applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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27 pages, 6772 KiB  
Article
Tri-Component Hydrogel as Template for Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Deposition Using Alternate Soaking Method for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications
by Irina Mihaela Pelin, Irina Popescu, Manuela Calin, Daniela Rebleanu, Geanina Voicu, Daniela Ionita, Marius-Mihai Zaharia, Marieta Constantin and Gheorghe Fundueanu
Gels 2023, 9(11), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9110905 - 16 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1401
Abstract
Composite hydrogels containing apatite-like particles can act as scaffolds for osteoblast proliferation, with applications in bone tissue engineering. In this respect, porous biocompatible hydrogels were obtained from chitosan, oxidized pullulan, and PVA in different ratios. The stability of the hydrogels was ensured both [...] Read more.
Composite hydrogels containing apatite-like particles can act as scaffolds for osteoblast proliferation, with applications in bone tissue engineering. In this respect, porous biocompatible hydrogels were obtained from chitosan, oxidized pullulan, and PVA in different ratios. The stability of the hydrogels was ensured both by covalent bonds between aldehyde groups of oxidized pullulan and free amino groups of chitosan, and by physical bonds formed during freeze–thaw cycles and lyophilization. The deposition of calcium phosphates was performed by alternate soaking of the porous hydrogels into solutions with calcium and phosphate ions, assuring a basic pH required for hydroxyapatite formation. The mineralized hydrogels were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis, showing that inorganic particles containing between 80 and 92% hydroxyapatite were deposited in a high amount on the pore walls of the polymeric matrix. The composition of the organic matrix influenced the crystallization of calcium phosphates and the mechanical properties of the composite hydrogels. In vitro biological tests showed that mineralized hydrogels support the proliferation of MG-63 osteoblast-like cells to a greater extent compared to pristine hydrogels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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16 pages, 10624 KiB  
Article
Morphological Evaluation of Supramolecular Soft Materials Obtained through Co-Assembly Processes
by Alexandra Croitoriu, Aurica P. Chiriac, Alina G. Rusu, Alina Ghilan, Diana E. Ciolacu, Iuliana Stoica and Loredana E. Nita
Gels 2023, 9(11), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9110886 - 09 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 933
Abstract
Low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) are compounds with an intrinsic tendency to self-assemble forming various supramolecular architectures via non-covalent interactions. Considering that the development of supramolecular assemblies through the synergy of molecules is not entirely understood at the molecular level, this study introduced a Fmoc-short [...] Read more.
Low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) are compounds with an intrinsic tendency to self-assemble forming various supramolecular architectures via non-covalent interactions. Considering that the development of supramolecular assemblies through the synergy of molecules is not entirely understood at the molecular level, this study introduced a Fmoc-short peptide and four Fmoc-amino acids as building blocks for the self-assembly/co-assembly process. Hence, we investigated the formation of supramolecular gels starting from the molecular aggregation following two triggering approaches: solvent/co-solvent method and pH switch. The complex morphological analysis (POM, AFM, and STEM) offered an insight into the spontaneous formation of well-ordered nanoaggregates. Briefly, POM and AFM images demonstrated that self-assembled gels present various morphologies like dendrimer, spherulite, and vesicle, whereas all co-assembled supramolecular systems exhibit fibrillar morphologies as a result of the interaction between co-partners of each system. STEM study has confirmed that the molecules interact and join together, finally forming a fibrous network, an aspect seen in both self-assembled and co-assembled gels. XRD allowed the determination of the molecular arrangement. The study emphasized that the Fmoc motif protected the amino groups and facilitated gelation through additional π-π interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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