Recent Advances in Multi-functional Hydrogels
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 5
Special Issue Editors
Interests: tough hydrogels; functional hydrogels; soft matter materials; organometallic chemistry; structure and reactivity
Interests: biomass-based hydrogels; shape memory hydrogels; tough hydrogels; structure of hydrogels; physically crosslinked hydrogels
Interests: tough hydrogels; functional hydrogels; elastomers; soft matter materials; luminescent hydrogels
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polymeric hydrogels, as a vital class of soft materials, are composed of three-dimensional networks that can retain a substantial amount of water. Over the past two decades, hydrogels have garnered extensive attention in both fundamental research and practical applications due to their unique combination of solid and liquid properties. A wide range of innovative hydrogels with multiple functionalities—such as thermo-sensitivity, photo-sensitivity, pH sensitivity, strain sensitivity, shape memory, magnetism, conductivity, luminescence, adhesion, self-healing, anti-fouling, and suitability for 3D printing—have been developed. These multifunctional hydrogels have shown promise in various applications, including biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, flexible electronic devices, zinc-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and soft robotics.
Despite the significant advancements made, the field of functional hydrogels remains an active and critical area of research. The growing interest in these materials stems from the ongoing pursuit to design and synthesize hydrogels with new or enhanced functions.
This Special Issue on "Recent Advances in Multi-functional Hydrogels" aims to showcase high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews that highlight the latest breakthroughs in this dynamic and interdisciplinary field. We welcome contributions that explore various aspects of hydrogels, including, but not limited to, biomedical, thermo-sensitive, self-healing, tough, and 3D-printed.
Prof. Dr. Wenshan Ren
Dr. Liang Chen
Dr. Huijie Zhang
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
- thermo-sensitive hydrogels
- photo-sensitive hydrogels
- self-healing hydrogels
- anti-fouling hydrogels
- tough and strong hydrogels
- biomedical hydrogels
- luminescent hydrogels
- hydrogel adhesives
- hydrogel sensors
- 3D-printed hydrogels
- hydrogel-based soft actuators
- hydrogel-based electronics
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