Dear Colleagues,

Polysaccharides represent a wide class of bio-macromolecules that can play a variety of functions determined by their structural characteristics. In particular, their biocompatibility makes them attractive for biomedical applications, the food industry, cosmetic industry, and water purification. Their common features are represented by the presence of hydrophilic functional groups, such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino acids, and the rigidity of the polymeric chain. In consequence, many polysaccharides are soluble in water and in certain conditions can form hydrogels.

The gelation process is determined by the structural diversity of polysaccharides which arise from a variety of sugar units, the sequence of these units in the case of hetero-polysaccharides, their ability to be functionalized, etc. In many cases, polysaccharide gels are the resultant of non-covalent intra- and inter-molecular associations, involving hemiacetal oxygen, hydroxyl, or methyl groups of the sugar residues. Complexation by metal ions can also be a driving force to generate gel networks as in the case of alginate. Using a variety of crosslinking agents that can be chosen depending on the presence of functional groups in the polysaccharide structure, it is possible to generate new gel networks or, in the particular case of a mixture of two polysaccharides, interpenetrated networks. These networks can lead to the formation of new covalent bonds.

This Special Issue, entitled “Polysaccharide: Gelation Arts”, will focus on the  various aspects of the polysaccharide gelation process: monitoring the gelation process, capacity to entrap various species from low molecular weight to proteins or cells, physicochemical methods that can highlight special properties of polysaccharide gels, applications, and modulation of gel properties. Researchers investigating polysaccharide gelation processes are invited to publish their original results, reviews, or perspectives related to these topics.

Dr. Gabriela Ionita
Guest Editor

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.

• polysaccharides
• noncovalent polymer gelation
• covalent crosslinking
• noncovalent crosslinking
• ipn and semi-ipn networks
• viscoelastic properties of polysaccharide gels
• biomaterials