Dear Colleagues,

Our efforts to stop the spread of antimicrobial agents depend on the discovery and development of novel antimicrobial soft materials (especially gels). Furthermore, gels and other soft materials must be understood from a molecular perspective, starting with the design process as well as how they interact with microbes and their antimicrobial and antiviral properties.

Recent advances in antimicrobial gels are the focus of this Special Issue on “Designing Gels for Antibacterial and Antiviral Agents”, which covers most aspects of antimicrobial gel fabrication, characterization, and applications. It will cover a broad range of topics, including the structure and behavior of antibacterial agents and gels, the antibacterial and antiviral mechanisms of gels, tissue regeneration, and antimicrobial gel applications.

Infections caused by bacteria pose one of the most serious threats to human health. In addition, a threat to human health worldwide has been posed by antibacterial-resistant bacteria (so-called “superbugs”) due to the widespread use of antibiotics. There are many clinical applications for antimicrobial gels, including wound healing. Further, antimicrobial gels are expected to stimulate new research and discoveries. To achieve progress in this field, an interdisciplinary approach is required to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of antibacterial gels and the mechanisms that underlie antimicrobial activity.

There can never be a complete coverage of antimicrobial gel science in a single issue. However, this Special Issue will include a variety of topics, including the molecular basis of soft materials’ antimicrobial activity, the mechanisms by which microbial agents interact with soft materials, characterization of soft materials and gels’ antimicrobial activity, and the adhesion of microbial agents to gels. There is also a focus on the synthesis, characterization, and processing of novel antimicrobial and antiviral gels, as well as synthetic and natural, hybrid, and composite gels that deliver antimicrobial agents effectively over long periods of time.

We hope that the topics will stimulate new research and discoveries in antimicrobial networks and gels.

Dr. Andrea Maria Chisnoiu
Dr. Andreea Iuliana Kui
Dr. Codruţa Saroși
Dr. Smaranda Buduru
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.

• antibacterial
• antimicrobial activity
• gels
• hydrogels
• adhesion
• tissue engineering
• synthesis and characterization