Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage

Dear Colleagues,

Oil production remains crucial for sustaining our energy supply cost-effectively. Simultaneously, substantial efforts are being made in carbon storage to reduce carbon levels. While these pursuits may seem conflicting, both are vital for addressing the needs of our current society. Investing in and developing material technologies during the process of hydrocarbon development or geologic carbon storage has become a critical focus for industries as new challenges and opportunities emerge. This Special Issue on advanced technologies in polymeric gel design and applications for hydrocarbon development and geologic carbon storage in gels provides a platform for sharing the latest research and practices in this area. These technologies help the petroleum industry address the challenges of the energy transition. The Special Issue that concentrates on the latest innovations in polymeric gels helps advance the development and improve the best practices in these technologies.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Novel polymer gel materials (e.g., phase-change polymer gels, self-healing hydrogels, thermal-responsive polymer gels, salt-resistant polymer gels, sustainable and renewable polymer gels, etc.);
• Polymer gel applications in carbon capture, utilization, and storage;
• Factors impacting the effectiveness of polymer gel treatment;
• Characterization of polymer gel transport and plugging performance in porous media;
• Reservoir numerical/physical simulation of CO₂ flooding;
• Machine learning applications in polymer gels projects.

Prof. Dr. Baojun Bai
Dr. Jingyang Pu
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.

• Novel polymer gel materials (e.g., phase-change polymer gels, self-healing hydrogels, thermal-responsive polymer gels, salt-resistant polymer gels, sustainable and renewable polymer gels, etc.);
• Polymer gel applications in carbon capture, utilization, and storage;
• Factors impacting the effectiveness of polymer gel treatment;
• Characterization of polymer gel transport and plugging performance in porous media;
• Reservoir numerical/physical simulation of CO2 flooding;
• Machine learning applications in polymer gels projects.