Advances in Functional Gel (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, due to the increasing demands of modern society for sustainability, environmental protection and pollution prevention, there has been a growing global need for more efficient, eco-friendly and long-life materials.

In this framework, it appears to be quite necessary to encompass a range of strategies that can help in the transition towards a circular economy, by supporting the following:

• A reduction in primary raw material consumption, fossil-based reagents and waste production;
• The development of multifunctional products that can help in saving money and reducing pollution, by decreasing the number of products in our everyday life;
• The maintenance of the final product performances over time, by improving their resistance to external agents and to consumption by end users, thus extending the product life cycle.

Using this reasoning, recent research studies in materials chemistry are moving towards the development of innovative and smart (multi)functional gel-based materials, featuring a wide range of interesting properties for applications in biomedical, sensing, textiles, catalysis, building, cultural heritage, blue-growth, automotive and environmental industrial sectors.

Additionally, nanotechnology has been shown to be a determinant in the rational design of these novel functional nanostructured gel formulations, leading to advanced nano-hybrid or nanocomposite gels, also useful as coatings for surface properties’ implementation, such as anti-vegetative or antibacterial, hydrophobic, anti-stain, fire-retardant, controlled drug release, molecule detection, protection and mechanical resistance.

In this regard, gel technologies are receiving considerable attention for the design and development of functional hybrid organic and inorganic systems, based on hosting (blended) polymeric matrices and opportune functional nanofillers, thanks to the advantages, such as low process temperature, no cytotoxicity, high final product homogeneity, hazardous solvent’s absence, high versatility and stable binding to functional molecules or surfaces.

Furthermore, green and eco-friendly gel-based synthetic protocols can be established in combination with naturally derived polymers and bio-based or secondary raw materials, thus resulting in new eco-friendly products, which can be recycled and re-used.

Dr. Maria Rosaria Plutino
Dr. Silvia Sfameni
Dr. Giulia Rando
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.

• smart gel systems
• nanohybrid gels
• nanocomposite gels
• innovative advanced gels
• bio-based gel materials
• sol–gel technique
• functional gel coatings

• Advances in Functional Gel in Gels (16 articles)