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Gels
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Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels (2nd Edition)
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Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2024) | Viewed by 4015

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jennifer Rodon-Fores

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre de recherche en biomédecine de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Interests: hydrogels; biomaterials; antimicrobial gels; peptide self-assembly; enzyme or chemically fuelled self-assembly; functional gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Thomas Swift

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Polymer and Biomaterials Chemistry Laboratories, School of Chemistry and Biosciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Interests: functional polymers; stimuli-responsive systems; moisture control; vapour permeability; grafting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Iqbal Muhammad Haseeb

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Functional Interfaces, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Interests: surface functionalization; biomaterials; biointerfaces; layer-by-layer assembly; antimicrobial films; cell–material interactions; hydrogels; polyelectrolytes; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your attention to our first edition “Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels”.

This Special Issue on “Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels (2nd Edition)” is dedicated to recent advances in the hydrogel field. Within this context, a broad range of subjects, including structure and characterization, molecular modelling and simulation, and applications will be discussed. Over the past decade, hydrogels have received significant research attention due to their unique type of scaffolds and broad application prospects, such as in biomaterials and biointerfaces, coatings, drug/gene delivery, tissue engineering, and soft matter. Several types of hydrogels have been prepared from naturally derived biomaterials, synthetic polymers, 2D nanomaterials, or their combination, showing promising functions through the precise control of their molecular and supramolecular architecture. Progress in this field requires an interdisciplinary effort to accomplish a more detailed understanding of the structure and interactions that define the different scaffolds and complex behaviour, and to make it possible to tailor the properties of these materials.

This Special Issue will contain only a few representative examples of the possibilities of hydrogels. It is hoped that through this Special Issue, novel research and discoveries will be stimulated and will lead to new preparation methods, properties, and functions.

Dr. Jennifer Rodon-Fores
Dr. Thomas Swift
Dr. Iqbal Muhammad Haseeb
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.

Keywords

  • hydrogels
  • dynamic properties
  • structure–property relationship
  • synthesis and characterization
  • biomaterials and biointerfaces
  • polymers and nanomaterials
  • functional materials and surfaces
  • applications

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 9265 KiB  
Article
Injectable Biodegradable Chitosan–PEG/PEG–Dialdehyde Hydrogel for Stem Cell Delivery and Cartilage Regeneration
by Xiaojie Lin, Ruofan Liu, Jacob Beitzel, Yang Zhou, Chloe Lagadon and Miqin Zhang
Gels 2024, 10(8), 508; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10080508 - 1 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1069
Abstract
Stem cell-based therapy holds promise for cartilage regeneration in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Injectable hydrogels have been developed to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and facilitate stem cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, these hydrogels face limitations such as poor mechanical strength, inadequate [...] Read more.
Stem cell-based therapy holds promise for cartilage regeneration in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Injectable hydrogels have been developed to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and facilitate stem cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, these hydrogels face limitations such as poor mechanical strength, inadequate biocompatibility, and suboptimal biodegradability, collectively hindering their effectiveness in cartilage regeneration. This study introduces an injectable, biodegradable, and self-healing hydrogel composed of chitosan–PEG and PEG–dialdehyde for stem cell delivery. This hydrogel can form in situ by blending two polymer solutions through injection at physiological temperature, encapsulating human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) during the gelation process. Featuring a 3D porous structure with large pore size, optimal mechanical properties, biodegradability, easy injectability, and rapid self-healing capability, the hydrogel supports the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of hADSCs. Notably, encapsulated hADSCs form 3D spheroids during proliferation, with their sizes increasing over time alongside hydrogel degradation while maintaining high viability for at least 10 days. Additionally, hADSCs encapsulated in this hydrogel exhibit upregulated expression of chondrogenic differentiation genes and proteins compared to those cultured on 2D surfaces. These characteristics make the chitosan–PEG/PEG–dialdehyde hydrogel–stem cell construct suitable for direct implantation through minimally invasive injection, enhancing stem cell-based therapy for KOA and other cell-based treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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12 pages, 3028 KiB  
Article
Highly Stretchable, Self-Healing, Injectable and pH Responsive Hydrogel from Multiple Hydrogen Bonding and Boron-Carbohydrate Interactions
by Yi-Yang Peng, Qiuli Cheng, Meng Wu, Wenda Wang, Jianyang Zhao, Diana Diaz-Dussan, Michelle McKay, Hongbo Zeng, Sarute Ummartyotin and Ravin Narain
Gels 2023, 9(9), 709; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9090709 - 1 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2591
Abstract
A simple and cost-effective method for the fabrication of a safe, dual-responsive, highly stretchable, self-healing and injectable hydrogel is reported based on a combination of dynamic boronate ester bonds and hydrogen bonding interactions. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel are tunable by adjusting [...] Read more.
A simple and cost-effective method for the fabrication of a safe, dual-responsive, highly stretchable, self-healing and injectable hydrogel is reported based on a combination of dynamic boronate ester bonds and hydrogen bonding interactions. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel are tunable by adjusting the molar ratios between sugar moieties on the polymer and borax. It was remarkable to note that the 2:1 ratio of sugar and borate ion significantly improves the mechanical strength of the hydrogel. The injectability, self-healing and stretchability properties of the hydrogel were also examined. In addition, the impact of the variation of the pH and the addition of free sugar responsiveness of the hydrogel was studied. High MRC-5 cell viability was noticed by the 3D live/dead assay after 24 h cell culture within the hydrogel scaffold. Hence, the developed hydrogels have desirable features that warrant their applications for drug delivery, scaffolds for cell and tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Properties and Applications of Functional Hydrogels (2nd Edition))
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