Innovative Soft Materials with a Focus on Gels

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “Innovative Soft Materials with a Focus on Gels”, aims to shed light on the advancements, properties, and applications of gels in the field of materials science, which covers a variety of research topics related to gels, including their synthesis, characterization, properties, and their use in advanced applications such as biotechnology, electronics, and cultural heritage protection. While significant progress has been made in the development of hydrogels in recent years, several challenges remain due to their high complexities in molecular interactions. These pressing issues range from preparation, processing, and characterization to practical applications. For example, there is a lack of control over their mechanical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as biocompatibility and stability, which are determined by various factors such as their chemical composition, crosslinking density, and micro- and nanostructures. Designing hydrogels with specific mechanical properties requires a deep understanding of the underlying chemistry and physics of hydrogel formation.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the recent advancements in and applications of gel materials. We hope that the research articles we publish contribute to the growing body of knowledge on gel materials and inspire further exploration and innovation in this exciting field.

Dr. Marco Castriota
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.

• gel materials
• synthesis, characterization, and properties
• biomedical applications
• electronics
• intelligent materials