Customizing Hydrogels: A Journey from Concept to End-Use Properties

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue, titled "Customizing Hydrogels: A Journey from Concept to End-Use Properties". The uniqueness of hydrogels is reflected in their ability to be customized from the conceptualization phase in order to obtain particular end-use properties suitable for targeted applications. The goal of this Special Issue is to present the most recent innovative approaches in the design, synthesis, and investigation of tailored hydrogel properties. These may include aspects such as swelling behavior; specific physical, chemical, or mechanical properties; responsiveness to external stimuli; and/or compatibility with biological systems.

The topics to be addressed in this Special Issue include the synthesis of hydrogels through diverse methods or techniques; the exploration of gelation mechanisms; in-depth examination of specific properties through advanced characterization techniques; the incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles into hydrogel matrices; the demonstration of end-use properties required for biomedical advances; and environmental solutions, with a consideration of industrial applications.

In line with this, this Special Issue aims to highlight the cutting-edge influence of customized hydrogel development and pave the way for advancements in performance and applicability in real-world scenarios. Thus, authors are invited to submit original research papers (or critical reviews) to this Special Issue that emphasize the uniqueness of hydrogel-based materials from theoretical concepts to specific properties for prospective applications.

Dr. Andra-Cristina Enache
Dr. Corneliu Cojocaru
Dr. Petrisor Samoila
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 2100 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.

• natural/synthetic/hybrid hydrogels
• chemical/physical hydrogels
• “smart” hydrogels
• (nano)composite hydrogels
• gelation mechanism
• end-use properties