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Gels
Special Issues
Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0
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Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 12816

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Pavel Gurikov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Thermal Separation Processes, Hamburg University of Technology, 21073 Hamburg, Germany
Interests: aerogels; soft matter; coarse-grained modeling; cryoprocesses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cryogelation, a polymerization process intended to form a crosslinked and macroporous gel network at sub-zero temperatures, has initially been used only for a handful of polymers since the 1970s. Gels produced with this process are known as freeze-thawed cryogels, or more commonly cryogels. In the recent years, cryogelation processes have gained momentum and have been applied to a variety of polymers, including biopolymers and hybrid systems. More research is undergoing to expand the polymer library but also to better understand the underlying mechanisms of cryogelation.

Alternatively, a different class of cryogels, namely freeze-dried cryogels, are made from standard hydrogels that undergo a process of cryostructuration. While freeze drying from aqueous system often results in a structural damage of the gel, recent advances such as flash freezing and drying from non-aqueous solutions remedy this problem opening up to a new class of porous solids.

This Special Issue “Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0” is dedicated to highlight recent developments and new advancements in this rapidly growing field of employing cryogenic processes to induce gelation, as well as to preserve gel macrostructure during sublimation. Contributions covering the following topics from fundamental and application-driven perspectives are welcome and encouraged:

  • Cryogelation and freezing/thawing of both inorganic and organic precursors including biopolymers;
  • Novel cryogenic processes such as flash freezing and freeze drying with non-aqueous solvents;
  • Mechanisms of cryogelation and related processes;
  • Cryogelation using unusual polymers;
  • Applications of cryogels in material and life sciences.

Prof. Dr. Pavel Gurikov
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.

Keywords

  • Freezing/thawing cryostructuration
  • Cryotropic gelation
  • Cryogels
  • Freeze drying
  • Sublimation
  • Pore engineering

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2132 KiB  
Article
Extended Rate Constants Distribution (RCD) Model for Sorption in Heterogeneous Systems: 2. Importance of Diffusion Limitations for Sorption Kinetics on Cryogels in Batch
by Irina Malakhova, Alexey Golikov, Yuliya Azarova and Svetlana Bratskaya
Gels 2020, 6(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels6020015 - 14 May 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2605
Abstract
Here we address the problem of what we can expect from investigations of sorption kinetics on cryogel beads in batch. Does macroporosity of beads indeed help eliminate diffusion limitations under static sorption conditions? Are sorption rate constants calculated using phenomenological kinetic models helpful [...] Read more.
Here we address the problem of what we can expect from investigations of sorption kinetics on cryogel beads in batch. Does macroporosity of beads indeed help eliminate diffusion limitations under static sorption conditions? Are sorption rate constants calculated using phenomenological kinetic models helpful for predicting sorption properties under dynamic conditions? Applying the rate constants distribution (RCD) model to kinetic curves of Cu(II) ions sorption on polyethyleneimine (PEI) cryogel and gel beads and fines, we have shown that diffusion limitations in highly swollen beads are very important and result in at least ten-fold underestimation of the sorption rate constants. To account for intraparticle diffusion, we have developed the RCD-diffusion model, which yields “intrinsic” kinetic parameters for the sorbents, even if diffusion limitations were important in kinetic experiments. We have shown that introduction of a new variable—characteristic diffusion time—to the RCD model significantly improved the reliability of sorption kinetic parameters and allowed prediction of the minimal residence time in column required for efficient uptake of the adsorbate under dynamic conditions. The minimal residence time determined from kinetic curves simulated using the RCD-diffusion model was in good agreement with experimental data on breakthrough curves of Cu(II) ion sorption on monolith PEI cryogel at different flow rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0)
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Review

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15 pages, 32745 KiB  
Review
Injectable Cryogels in Biomedicine
by Duygu Çimen, Merve Asena Özbek, Nilay Bereli, Bo Mattiasson and Adil Denizli
Gels 2021, 7(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels7020038 - 01 Apr 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3932
Abstract
Cryogels are interconnected macroporous materials that are synthesized from a monomer solution at sub-zero temperatures. Cryogels, which are used in various applications in many research areas, are frequently used in biomedicine applications due to their excellent properties, such as biocompatibility, physical resistance and [...] Read more.
Cryogels are interconnected macroporous materials that are synthesized from a monomer solution at sub-zero temperatures. Cryogels, which are used in various applications in many research areas, are frequently used in biomedicine applications due to their excellent properties, such as biocompatibility, physical resistance and sensitivity. Cryogels can also be prepared in powder, column, bead, sphere, membrane, monolithic, and injectable forms. In this review, various examples of recent developments in biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, which are currently scarce in the literature, made from synthetic and natural polymers are discussed. In the present review, several biomedical applications of injectable cryogels, such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, therapeutic, therapy, cell transplantation, and immunotherapy, are emphasized. Moreover, it aims to provide a different perspective on the studies to be conducted on injectable cryogels, which are newly emerging trend. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0)
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59 pages, 4034 KiB  
Review
Cryostructuring of Polymeric Systems. 55. Retrospective View on the More than 40 Years of Studies Performed in the A.N.Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds with Respect of the Cryostructuring Processes in Polymeric Systems
by Vladimir I. Lozinsky
Gels 2020, 6(3), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels6030029 - 10 Sep 2020
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5348
Abstract
The processes of cryostructuring in polymeric systems, the techniques of the preparation of diverse cryogels and cryostructurates, the physico-chemical mechanisms of their formation, and the applied potential of these advanced polymer materials are all of high scientific and practical interest in many countries. [...] Read more.
The processes of cryostructuring in polymeric systems, the techniques of the preparation of diverse cryogels and cryostructurates, the physico-chemical mechanisms of their formation, and the applied potential of these advanced polymer materials are all of high scientific and practical interest in many countries. This review article describes and discusses the results of more than 40 years of studies in this field performed by the researchers from the A.N.Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences—one of the key centers, where such investigations are carried out. The review includes brief historical information, the description of the main effects and trends characteristic of the cryostructuring processes, the data on the morphological specifics inherent in the polymeric cryogels and cryostructurates, and examples of their implementation for solving certain applied tasks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cryogelation and Cryogels 2.0)
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