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Gels
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels
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Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 21687

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tomas Sedlacik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Supramolecular Chemistry Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Interests: cryogels; porous scaffolds; tissue engineering; hydrogels; mechanical properties; polymer synthesis
Dr. Turdimuhammad Abdullah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Polymeric Gels Research Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34469, Turkey
Interests: biomaterials; hydrogels; nanocomposites; 3D printing; smart materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Gels on Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels.

Polymeric cryogels have long been known as soft solid materials with unceasing interest given by their perhaps endless application potential. Cryogels can exhibit many unique properties among gels, including a highly interconnected macroporous structure, a supreme solvent-adsorption capacity (water-adsorption in the case of hydrogels), excellent shape-memory properties, and injectability.

It was Prof. Vladimir I. Lozinsky who, nearly 40 years ago, started to systematically study how various polymeric systems form hydrogels in frozen conditions. However, it took a long time for cryogels to gain more focus.

How is it these days? Within the last 3 years, more than 500 articles on cryogels have been published, which is about 3 times more than 10 years ago and 30 times more than 2 decades ago. Publications about polymeric cryogels were cited more frequently by 80% in the last year than three years ago. These numbers prove that the topic is blooming and that cryogels are gaining more and more attention. Cryogels found use particularly in biotechnological and biomedical applications, including the separation of biomolecules and cells, catalysis, water purification, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

This Special Issue of Gels on Recent advances in polymeric cryogels is an excellent opportunity to stand out and show your cryogels to the scientific community. Have you developed cryogels from new polymers or designed smart cryogels for a new application? Do you want to present a new tool to study cryogels? Do not hesitate to submit your manuscript to this Special Issue of Gels!

Dr. Tomas Sedlacik
Dr. Turdimuhammad Abdullah
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

  • cryogels
  • cryogelation
  • cryotropic gelation
  • freeze-drying gelation
  • freeze-thawing gelation
  • macroporous hydrogels

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 5346 KiB  
Article
Facile Synthesis and Fabrication of NIPAM-Based Cryogels for Environmental Remediation
by Jaweria Ambreen, Abdul Haleem, Aqeel Ahmed Shah, Fozia Mushtaq, Muhammad Siddiq, Muhammad Ali Bhatti, Syed Nizam Uddin Shah Bukhari, Ali Dad Chandio, Wael A. Mahdi and Sultan Alshehri
Gels 2023, 9(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9010064 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3231
Abstract
Herein, polymeric cryogels containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were synthesized by cryo-polymerization at subzero temperature. The synthesized cryogels were loaded with silver and palladium nanoparticles by the chemical reduction method at room temperature using the reducing agent NaBH4. Moreover, for comparison with cryogels, pure [...] Read more.
Herein, polymeric cryogels containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were synthesized by cryo-polymerization at subzero temperature. The synthesized cryogels were loaded with silver and palladium nanoparticles by the chemical reduction method at room temperature using the reducing agent NaBH4. Moreover, for comparison with cryogels, pure poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel and its silver hybrid were also prepared by the conventional method at room temperature. The chemical structure and functional group analysis of the pure cryogels was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The synthesis of hybrid cryogels was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction technique and energy dispersive X-ray. The pore size and surface morphology of the pure cryogels, their respective hybrid cryogels and of conventional hydrogels were studied by using the scanning electron microscopy technique. The hybrid cryogels were successfully used as a catalyst for the degradation of methyl orange dye. The degradation performance of the hybrid cryogels was much better than its counterpart hybrid hydrogel for methyl orange dye. The effect of temperature and amount of catalyst on catalytic performance was studied by UV-visible spectroscopy. The reduction follows pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. In addition, the antibacterial activities of these cryogels were evaluated against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, ATCC: 2593) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, ATCC: 25922). Both hybrid cryogels have shown much better antibacterial activity for these two strains of bacteria compared to pure cryogels. The results indicate that these cryogels are potential candidates for water purification systems as well as biomedical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels)
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17 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
Cryostructuring of Polymeric Systems: 63. Synthesis of Two Chemically Tanned Gelatin-Based Cryostructurates and Evaluation of Their Potential as Scaffolds for Culturing of Mammalian Cells
by Vladimir I. Lozinsky, Valentina K. Kulakova, Alexei M. Grigoriev, Elena A. Podorozhko, Ludmila A. Kirsanova, Aleksandra D. Kirillova, Ivan A. Novikov, Yulia B. Basok and Viktor I. Sevastianov
Gels 2022, 8(11), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8110695 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Various gelatin-containing gel materials are used as scaffolds for animal and human cell culturing within the fields of cell technologies and tissue engineering. Cryostructuring is a promising technique for the preparation of efficient macroporous scaffolds in biomedical applications. In the current study, two [...] Read more.
Various gelatin-containing gel materials are used as scaffolds for animal and human cell culturing within the fields of cell technologies and tissue engineering. Cryostructuring is a promising technique for the preparation of efficient macroporous scaffolds in biomedical applications. In the current study, two new gelatin-based cryostructurates were synthesized, their physicochemical properties and microstructure were evaluated, and their ability to serve as biocompatible scaffolds for mammalian cells culturing was tested. The preparation procedure included the dissolution of Type A gelatin in water, the addition of urea to inhibit self-gelation, the freezing of such a solution, ice sublimation in vacuo, and urea extraction with ethanol from the freeze-dried matter followed by its cross-linking in an ethanol medium with either carbodiimide or glyoxal. It was shown that in the former case, a denser cross-linked polymer phase was formed, while in the latter case, the macropores in the resultant biopolymer material were wider. The subsequent biotesting of these scaffolds demonstrated their biocompatibility for human mesenchymal stromal cells and HepG2 cells during subcutaneous implantation in rats. Albumin secretion and urea synthesis by HepG2 cells confirmed the possibility of using gelatin cryostructurates for liver tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels)
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14 pages, 5245 KiB  
Article
Macroporous Cell-Laden Gelatin/Hyaluronic Acid/Chondroitin Sulfate Cryogels for Engineered Tissue Constructs
by Gulshakhar Kudaibergen, Madina Zhunussova, Ellina A. Mun, Yerlan Ramankulov and Vyacheslav Ogay
Gels 2022, 8(9), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8090590 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2674
Abstract
Cryogels are a unique macroporous material for tissue engineering. In this work, we study the effect of hyaluronic acid on the physicochemical properties of cryogel as well as on the proliferation of a 3D model of mesenchymal stem cells. The functional groups of [...] Read more.
Cryogels are a unique macroporous material for tissue engineering. In this work, we study the effect of hyaluronic acid on the physicochemical properties of cryogel as well as on the proliferation of a 3D model of mesenchymal stem cells. The functional groups of the synthesized cryogels were identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. With an increase in the content of hyaluronic acid in the composition of the cryogel, an increase in porosity, gel content and swelling behavior was observed. As the hyaluronic acid content increased, the average pore size increased and more open pores were formed. Degradation studies have shown that all cryogels were resistant to PBS solution for 8 weeks. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated no toxic effect on viability of rat adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) cultured on cryogels. ADMSC spheroids were proliferated on scaffolds and showed the ability of the cryogels to orient cell differentiation into chondrogenic lineage even in the absence of inductive agents. Thus, our results demonstrate an effective resemblance to extracellular matrix structures specific to cartilage-like microenvironments by cryogels and their further perspective application as potential biomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels)
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16 pages, 2602 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Cryogenic Radical and Oxidative Coupling Polymerizations to Polyaniline/Polyacrylamide Conductive Cryogels for Gas Sensing
by Xiao-Xiao Guo, Shi-Chang Hou, Hui-Juan Li, Jun Chen, Abdul Haleem and Wei-Dong He
Gels 2022, 8(9), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8090556 - 1 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1939
Abstract
The macro-porous structure of polymer cryogels provides an appropriate channel for the adsorption and transport of substances, endowing its application in the field of electrochemical sensing. The combination mode of a polymer matrix and electro-active substance, particularly the distribution of an electro-active substance [...] Read more.
The macro-porous structure of polymer cryogels provides an appropriate channel for the adsorption and transport of substances, endowing its application in the field of electrochemical sensing. The combination mode of a polymer matrix and electro-active substance, particularly the distribution of an electro-active substance in the matrix, has an important effect on the overall performance of the sensor. In this work, through the simultaneous oxidation coupling polymerization of aniline (ANI) and radical polymerization of acrylamide (AAm) under cryogenic condition, conductive composite cryogels were prepared, aiming for the uniform distribution of PANI in the PAAm matrix. The possibility of simultaneous polymerizations was symmetrically investigated, and the obtained PANI/PAAm cryogels were characterized. Due to the acid-doping of PANI, the electrical conductivity of PANI/PAAm cryogels could be modulated with acidic and basic gases. Thus, the performance of the gas sensor was studied by making conductive PANI/PAAm cryogel sheets as resistive sensor electrodes. We found that the content of PANI, the sheet thickness and the dry/wet state of the cryogel influenced the response sensitivity and rate as well as the recovery properties. The response duration for HCl and NH3 gas was shorter than 70 and 120 s, respectively. The cyclic detection of HCl gas and the alternate detection of NH3/HCl were achieved. This gas sensor with advantages, including simple preparation, low cost and high sensitivity, would have great potential for the application to monitor the leakage of acidic and basic gases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels)
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Review

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32 pages, 3672 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Macroporous Hydrogels for Cell Behavior and Tissue Engineering
by Yuan Ma, Xinhui Wang, Ting Su, Feng Lu, Qiang Chang and Jianhua Gao
Gels 2022, 8(10), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100606 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 9193
Abstract
Hydrogels have been extensively used as scaffolds in tissue engineering for cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and differentiation because of their high-water content and biocompatibility similarity to the extracellular matrix. However, submicron or nanosized pore networks within hydrogels severely limit cell survival and tissue [...] Read more.
Hydrogels have been extensively used as scaffolds in tissue engineering for cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and differentiation because of their high-water content and biocompatibility similarity to the extracellular matrix. However, submicron or nanosized pore networks within hydrogels severely limit cell survival and tissue regeneration. In recent years, the application of macroporous hydrogels in tissue engineering has received considerable attention. The macroporous structure not only facilitates nutrient transportation and metabolite discharge but also provides more space for cell behavior and tissue formation. Several strategies for creating and functionalizing macroporous hydrogels have been reported. This review began with an overview of the advantages and challenges of macroporous hydrogels in the regulation of cellular behavior. In addition, advanced methods for the preparation of macroporous hydrogels to modulate cellular behavior were discussed. Finally, future research in related fields was discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymeric Cryogels)
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