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Gels
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High Performance Gels
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High Performance Gels

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2024) | Viewed by 4533

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Naymul Karim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: food hydrocolloids; oral drug delivery systems; micro- and nanoencapsulation; food bioactive compounds; natural bioactive compounds; bioavailability; metabolic diseases; pharmacological activity of bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Md Alim Uddin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: functional polymer; stimuli-responsive material; biomedical application
Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Islam Shishir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
Interests: bioactive food compounds, micro- and nanoencapsulation; drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gels are well-known semi-solid colloidal or polymer networks which have widespread applications in foods, cosmetics, and biomedicines. Nowadays, the demand for gel-based products is rapidly increasing due to their promising properties, e.g., high water content, low calorie content, easy application as tropical products, and appealing taste as food products, etc. Nevertheless, traditional gel-based products have several limitations such as reduced storage stability, lower thermal stability, lower encapsulation efficiency in case of drug or nutrient delivery, lower color consistency, phase separation, and others. Thus, research on novel high-performance gels with high toughness, high flexibility, longer stability, and higher bio-functionalities, etc., widens the application potential of gels in the field of food, biomedicine, and cosmetics.

This Special Issue aims to present recent updates on the development, characterization, and potential application of high-performance gels. We welcome original research articles, reviews on recent trends, and short communications related to the research topic.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Design, development, and in-depth characterization of gel-based micro- and/or nano-carriers.
  • Study of stability, drug/compound-release kinetics, and release mechanisms of gel-based particles.
  • Study of the functional properties of gel-based carrier formulation, e.g., particle characteristics in the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal mucus penetration, cellular uptake, and release pattern at the targeted site.
  • In vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies of gel-based carriers.
  • Pharmacological studies of gel-based carriers concerning human diseases, e.g., metabolic diseases.
  • Toxicity aspects and biological safety of the gel-based carrier formulations in cellular and/or animal model.
  • Clinical trial studies on the efficacy of bioactive compounds or drug-loaded gel-based carriers.
  • Development of gel-based food and cosmetic products.

Dr. Naymul Karim
Dr. Md Alim Uddin
Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Islam Shishir
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.

Keywords

  • gels
  • bioactive compounds
  • therapeutic efficacy
  • gel-based foods
  • gel-based cosmetics
  • biomedical applications

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4813 KiB  
Article
Reinforcement of Acrylamide Hydrogels with Cellulose Nanocrystals Using Gamma Radiation for Antibiotic Drug Delivery
by Alejandra Ortega, Silvia Valencia, Ernesto Rivera, Tania Segura and Guillermina Burillo
Gels 2023, 9(8), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9080602 - 26 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1145
Abstract
In this paper, we report the synthesis of acrylamide hydrogels (net-AAm) reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) using gamma radiation, a powerful tool to obtain crosslinked polymers without the use of chemical initiators and crosslinking agents. Some slight changes in the chemical [...] Read more.
In this paper, we report the synthesis of acrylamide hydrogels (net-AAm) reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) using gamma radiation, a powerful tool to obtain crosslinked polymers without the use of chemical initiators and crosslinking agents. Some slight changes in the chemical structure and crystallinity of CNCs took place during gamma irradiation without affecting the nanofiller function. In fact, cellulose nanocrystals had a notable influence over the swelling and mechanical properties on the reinforced hydrogels (net-AAm/CNC), obtaining more rigid material since the Young compression modulus increased from 11 kPa for unreinforced net-AAm to 30 kPa for net-AAm/CNC (4% w/w). Moreover, the studies of retention and release of ciprofloxacin (Cx), a quinolone antibiotic drug, showed that reinforced hydrogels were able to load large amounts of ciprofloxacin (1.2–2.8 mg g−1) but they distributed 100% of the drug very quickly (<100 min). Despite this, they exhibited better mechanical properties than the control sample, allowing their handling, and could be used as wound dressings of first response because they can absorb the exudate and at the same time deliver an antibiotic drug directly over the injury. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Gels)
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13 pages, 6083 KiB  
Article
End-to-End QA with Polymer Gel Dosimeter for Photon Beam Radiation Therapy
by Libing Zhu, Yi Du, Yahui Peng, Xincheng Xiang and Xiangang Wang
Gels 2023, 9(3), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9030212 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1401
Abstract
With the complexity and high demands on quality assurance (QA) of photon beam radiation therapy, end-to-end (E2E) QA is necessary to validate the entire treatment workflow from pre-treatment imaging to beam delivery. A polymer gel dosimeter is a promising tool for three-dimensional (3D) [...] Read more.
With the complexity and high demands on quality assurance (QA) of photon beam radiation therapy, end-to-end (E2E) QA is necessary to validate the entire treatment workflow from pre-treatment imaging to beam delivery. A polymer gel dosimeter is a promising tool for three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution measurement. The purpose of this study is to design a fast “one delivery” polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom with a polymer gel dosimeter for the E2E QA test of the photon beam. The one delivery phantom is composed of ten calibration cuvettes for the calibration curve measurement, two 10 cm gel dosimeter inserts for the dose distribution measurement, and three 5.5 cm gel dosimeters for the square field measurement. The one delivery phantom holder is comparable in size and shape to that of a human thorax and abdomen. In addition, an anthropomorphic head phantom was employed to measure the patient-specific dose distribution of a VMAT plan. The E2E dosimetry was verified by undertaking the whole RT procedure (immobilization, CT simulation, treatment planning, phantom set-up, imaged-guided registration, and beam delivery). The calibration curve, field size, and patient-specific dose were measured with a polymer gel dosimeter. The positioning error can be mitigated with the one-delivery PMMA phantom holder. The delivered dose measured with a polymer gel dosimeter was compared with the planned dose. The gamma passing rate is 86.64% with the MAGAT-f gel dosimeter. The results ascertain the feasibility of the one delivery phantom with a polymer gel dosimeter for a photon beam in E2E QA. The QA time can be reduced with the designed one delivery phantom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Gels)
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Review

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22 pages, 8785 KiB  
Review
Gels That Serve as Mucus Simulants: A Review
by Appu Vinod, Rafael Tadmor, David Katoshevski and Ephraim J. Gutmark
Gels 2023, 9(7), 555; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9070555 - 7 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1372
Abstract
Mucus is a critical part of the human body’s immune system that traps and carries away various particulates such as anthropogenic pollutants, pollen, viruses, etc. Various synthetic hydrogels have been developed to mimic mucus, using different polymers as their backbones. Common to these [...] Read more.
Mucus is a critical part of the human body’s immune system that traps and carries away various particulates such as anthropogenic pollutants, pollen, viruses, etc. Various synthetic hydrogels have been developed to mimic mucus, using different polymers as their backbones. Common to these simulants is a three-dimensional gel network that is physically crosslinked and is capable of loosely entrapping water within. Two of the challenges in mimicking mucus using synthetic hydrogels include the need to mimic the rheological properties of the mucus and its ability to capture particulates (its adhesion mechanism). In this paper, we review the existing mucus simulants and discuss their rheological, adhesive, and tribological properties. We show that most, but not all, simulants indeed mimic the rheological properties of the mucus; like mucus, most hydrogel mucus simulants reviewed here demonstrated a higher storage modulus than its loss modulus, and their values are in the range of that found in mucus. However, only one mimics the adhesive properties of the mucus (which are critical for the ability of mucus to capture particulates), Polyvinyl alcohol–Borax hydrogel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Gels)
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