Biopolymeric Gels: Advancements in Sustainable Multifunctional Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymeric gels represent a rapidly evolving class of materials that lie at the intersection of sustainability and high-performance functionality. Derived from renewable sources or inspired by natural systems, these gels offer unique advantages such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable physicochemical properties. Their versatility makes them particularly attractive for biomedical applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, wound healing, and even clinical applications, where their in vivo behavior and functional responsiveness are crucial.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances in biopolymeric gels as sustainable and multifunctional materials, with preclinical and clinical biomedical applications. We welcome original research and review articles on novel gel systems, smart or stimuli-responsive gels, bioactive or therapeutic functionalities, and in vivo or clinical performance. Contributions addressing structure–function relationships, hybrid formulations, or innovative manufacturing techniques (e.g., 3D printing, injectable systems) are especially welcome.

At the same time, we invite proposals exploring non-biomedical applications, such as soft robotics, agriculture, food packaging, or environmental remediation, to reflect the broad impact of these materials on the advancement of sustainable technologies.

By bringing together interdisciplinary research spanning materials science, biology, chemistry, and engineering, this Special Issue seeks to present the next generation of multifunctional, eco-friendly biopolymer gels with practical relevance.

Dr. Mario García-González
Dr. Tiago H. Silva
Dr. José Antonio Vázquez Álvarez
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.