Physicochemical Properties and Applications of Gel Materials

Dear Colleagues,

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry defines gel as “a non-fluid colloidal network or polymer network that is expanded throughout its whole volume by a fluid”. In polymer chemistry, gels are considered a three-dimensional network of crosslinked polymers with the ability to store a liquid phase. Gels can be classified as natural or synthetic, while depending on the liquid medium in the polymer network, gels are classified as hydrogels, organogels or aerogels, in the case that the medium is a gas. Gels are used in a variety of applications, including in medicine, sensors, biotechnology, industry, agriculture and food. The most studied physicochemical properties of gel materials include their softness, viscoelasticity, swelling behavior, viscoelasticity, rheological and tribological properties, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility and gelation and crosslinking mechanisms.

The current Special Issue is focused on the most recent scientific and technological advances in the study of the physicochemical properties and applications of gel materials. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of gels (tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery, soft contact lenses, cosmetics and hand sanitizers);
• Industrial application of gel materials (lubricants, sealants and adhesives);
• The use of functional gels and their composites in sensors and actuators (biochemical sensors, thermally, chemically and electrically driven gel actuators);
• Additive manufacturing or 3D/4D printing of gel-based materials and their composites;
• Application of gels in the food industry (jams, jellies, confectionery, desserts, milk gels and yogurt);
• Engineered gels for environmental applications (conducting polymer gels and hybrid polymer gel electrolytes).

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Bouropoulos
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.

• hydrogels
• aerogels
• smart gels
• nanocomposite gels
• gels properties
• bioinks
• drug delivery
• tissue engineering