Gel-Based Particles for Biological and Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The utility of hydrogels in biomedical and environmental applications has been well-documented. The success in using gel-based materials in such applications is dictated by the physical, mechanical, and biological similarities of hydrogels to natural extracellular matrices, the tunable pore size of hydrogels (which enables controlled uptake/release applications), and the capacity of hydrogels to bind large volumes of water. Microgels or nanogels, which are particulate hydrogels on the micro or nano length scale, can further expand the applications of hydrogels in many areas, given their more rapid responses to stimuli, their facile injectability or flow, their high specific surface area (which enables faster diffusion-based processes), and their highly controllable internal morphologies; these characteristics make such gels amenable to the design of advanced functional materials. The number of papers on microgels and nanogels has recently exploded in the literature; however, significant challenges persist in translating the chemistry of microgels and nanogels into practical applications in the biomedical and environmental fields. In this Special Issue, we solicit both review papers on important sub-topics in the area as well as original research articles reporting significant advances in the chemistry of microgel or nanogel synthesis, the engineering of microgels or nanogels for biomedical or environmental applications (e.g., rational control of morphologies, performance or property optimization, scale-up of synthesis), and the performance of microgels or nanogels in those applications (e.g., papers concerning efficacy, toxicity, recyclability, or degradability, among other attributes related to application performance). Manuscripts focused on microgels or nanogels based on both smart, responsive materials as well as conventional and bio-based polymers will be considered, although papers on organic-swellable gels will not be considered within the scope of the Issue.

Dr. Todd R. Hoare
Dr. Niels M.B. Smeets
Guest Editors

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