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Gels
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Properties of Hydrogels, Aerogels, and Cryogels Composites (2nd Edition)
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Properties of Hydrogels, Aerogels, and Cryogels Composites (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 3545

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irina Elena Raschip

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Guest Editor
Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Interests: biomaterials; porous gels; cryogel; functional materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Raluca Nicoleta Darie-Nita

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Guest Editor
Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Interests: reactive processing (natural and synthetic polymers); physico-chemical characterization of polymers and composites (rheological, mechanical, thermal, and surface properties); biodegradable polymers; applications of bio-based materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Properties of Hydrogel, Aerogel, and Cryogel Composites” is dedicated to the latest advances in the preparation, properties, and applications of gel-type materials, highlighting key concepts relevant to the unique properties of hydrogels, aerogels, and cryogels.

Hydrogels have the ability to absorb impressive amounts of water or biological fluids within their peculiar structure of physically or chemically cross-linked 3D polymer networks. Hydrogels can be converted to aerogels following water removal via different approaches. Their distinctive features, such as super-absorbency, fluffiness, biocompatibility, viscoelasticity, and softness, underpin various applications, especially in the biomedical field.

Lately, porous gel materials have been found to offer more benefits than conventional hydrogels when applied as scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, substrates for cell culture, chromatographic materials, and carriers for controlled delivery of drugs or proteins. In this regard, cryogels have revolutionized the field of biomedical research with their super-elasticity and highly interconnected and open macroporous structure obtained by conducting polymerization/cross-linking at subzero temperatures. Furthermore, the development of sustainable composites has been a priority for polymer engineering research over the past two decades. Composite materials have been designed by blending two or more polymers or by entrapping inorganic or natural fillers of nano- or micro-sizes within a polymer matrix in order to tune the physical, chemical, and biological properties of hydrogels, aerogels and cryogels.

This Special Issue will cover new discoveries in the production of hydrogels, aerogels, and cryogels with a broad variety of morphologies and properties, which can be tailored for a particular application.

Dr. Irina Elena Raschip
Dr. Raluca-Nicoleta Darie-Nita
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.

Keywords

  • biomaterials
  • porous gels
  • functional materials
  • viscoelasticity
  • interconnectivity
  • swelling
  • biomedical and environmental applications

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2537 KiB  
Article
How the Crosslinker Amount Influences the Final Properties of Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate Cryogels
by Giuseppe Proietto Salanitri, Enrica Luzzi, Daniele Caretti, Tommaso Mecca, Sabrina C. Carroccio and Andrea A. Scamporrino
Gels 2024, 10(3), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10030163 - 22 Feb 2024
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Abstract
The investigation of the mechanical, thermal, and adsorption properties of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) cryogels as a function of a reactant ratio is herein reported to better address materials for specific applications. To this aim, cryogels have been synthesized using different monomer/crosslinker (N,N′-methylene-bisacrylamide–MBAA) ratios. [...] Read more.
The investigation of the mechanical, thermal, and adsorption properties of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) cryogels as a function of a reactant ratio is herein reported to better address materials for specific applications. To this aim, cryogels have been synthesized using different monomer/crosslinker (N,N′-methylene-bisacrylamide–MBAA) ratios. The study of SEM images made it possible to identify the trend in the material’s macroporosity. As would be expected, the average measured pore width decreased as the amount of MBAA increased while the number of pores grew. Swelling capacity ranges from 8.7 gW/ggel (grams of water per gram of gel) to 9.3 gW/ggel. These values are strictly connected with the pore’s size and distribution, revealing that the water uptake for the most crosslinked sample is inferior to other samples. The equilibrium-adsorption capacity (Qe) towards the methylene violet (MV) was also assessed, revealing no remarkable differences after 24 h of a batch test. As expected, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also showed no significant changes in stability that ranged from a maximum weight loss temperature (T Max) of 420 °C to 425 °C, which increased as a function of crosslinker content. Conversely, compression strength measurements showed a notable difference of about 50% in modulus (Ec), moving from the higher to the lower HEMA/MBAA ratio. These new comparative results indicate how slight variations in the reactant’s ratio can steadily improve the mechanical properties of the HEMA cryogel without affecting its adsorption efficiency. This can be helpful in the design of materials for water and energy purposes. Since swelling properties are needed in the case of biomedical applications, the HEMA/MBAA ratio should be tuned versus high values. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties of Hydrogels, Aerogels, and Cryogels Composites (2nd Edition))
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18 pages, 3752 KiB  
Article
Agarose Cryogels: Production Process Modeling and Structural Characterization
by Raffaele Mancino, Diego Caccavo, Anna Angela Barba, Gaetano Lamberti, Alice Biasin, Angelo Cortesi, Gabriele Grassi, Mario Grassi and Michela Abrami
Gels 2023, 9(9), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9090765 - 20 Sep 2023
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Abstract
A cryogel is a cross-linked polymer network with different properties that are determined by its manufacturing technique. The formation of a cryogel occurs at low temperatures and results in a porous structure whose pore size is affected by thermal conditions. The adjustable pore [...] Read more.
A cryogel is a cross-linked polymer network with different properties that are determined by its manufacturing technique. The formation of a cryogel occurs at low temperatures and results in a porous structure whose pore size is affected by thermal conditions. The adjustable pore sizes of cryogels make them attractive for diverse applications. In this study, the influence of the external operational temperature, which affects the cooling and freezing rates, on the production of cryogels with 2% w/w agarose is investigated. Moreover, a mathematical model is developed to simulate the cryogel production process and provide an initial estimate of the pore size within the structure. The predictions of the model, supported by qualitative light microscopy images, demonstrate that cryogels produced at higher process temperatures exhibit larger pore sizes. Moreover, the existence of pore size distribution within the gel structure is confirmed. Finally, stress relaxation tests, coupled with an image analysis, validates that cryogels produced at lower temperatures possess a higher stiffness and slower water release rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties of Hydrogels, Aerogels, and Cryogels Composites (2nd Edition))
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15 pages, 5584 KiB  
Article
Ice-Templated and Cross-Linked Xanthan-Based Hydrogels: Towards Tailor-Made Properties
by Irina Elena Raschip, Nicusor Fifere, Maria Marinela Lazar, Gabriela-Elena Hitruc and Maria Valentina Dinu
Gels 2023, 9(7), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9070528 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1204
Abstract
The use of polysaccharides with good film-forming properties in food packaging systems is a promising area of research. Xanthan gum (XG), an extracellular polysaccharide, has many industrial uses, including as a common food additive (E415). It is an effective thickening agent, emulsifier, and [...] Read more.
The use of polysaccharides with good film-forming properties in food packaging systems is a promising area of research. Xanthan gum (XG), an extracellular polysaccharide, has many industrial uses, including as a common food additive (E415). It is an effective thickening agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer that prevents ingredients from separating. Nevertheless, XG-based polymer films have some disadvantages, such as poor mechanical properties and high hydrophilic features, which reduce their stability when exposed to moisture and create difficulties in processing and handling. Thus, the objective of this work was to stabilize a XG matrix by cross-linking it with glycerol diglycidyl ether, 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether, or epichlorohydrin below the freezing point of the reaction mixture. Cryogelation is an ecological, friendly, and versatile method of preparing biomaterials with improved physicochemical properties. Using this technique, XG-based cryogels were successfully prepared in the form of microspheres, monoliths, and films. The XG-based cryogels were characterized by FTIR, SEM, AFM, swelling kinetics, and compressive tests. A heterogeneous morphology with interconnected pores, with an average pore size depending on both the nature of the cross-linker and the cross-linking ratio, was found. The use of a larger amount of cross-linker led to both a much more compact structure of the pore walls and to a significant decrease in the average pore size. The uniaxial compression tests indicated that the XG-based cryogels cross-linked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether exhibited the best elasticity, sustaining maximum deformations of 97.67%, 90.10%, and 81.80%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties of Hydrogels, Aerogels, and Cryogels Composites (2nd Edition))
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