Recent Advances and Future Perspectives in Stimuli-Responsive Gels

Dear Colleagues,

Although the technological and scientific importances of functional polymers have been well established over the last few decades, the most recent focus that has attracted much attention concerns stimuli-responsive polymer gels. These materials are of particular interest due to their abilities to respond to internal and/or external chemico-physical stimuli; such responses are often large and macroscopic. Aside from the scientific challenges of designing stimuli-responsive polymer gels, the main technological interests concern numerous applications, ranging from catalysis in microsystem technology and chemomechanical actuators to sensors. Since the phase transition phenomenon of hydrogels is theoretically well understood, advanced materials based on predictions can be prepared. Since the volume phase transition of hydrogels is a diffusion-limited process, the size of the synthesized hydrogels is an important factor. Consistent downscaling of the gel size will result in fast smart gels with sufficient response times.

To apply smart gels in microsystems and sensors, new preparation techniques for hydrogels have to be developed. For upcoming nanotechnology, nano-sized gels as actuating materials would be of great interest. Finally, new design concepts for tough polymer gels are of interest for overcoming the mechanical shortcomings of conventional gels.

This Topical Collection will provide an international forum for researchers to discuss the most recent studies concerning the preparation, characterization, and applications of such Stimuli-Responsive Gels.  Research and review articles focusing on these topics are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Dirk Kuckling
Prof. Dr. Sandra Van Vlierberghe
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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