Polysaccharide Hydrogels 2.0
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 8772
Special Issue Editor
Interests: biopolymers; biopolymer mesoscale structure formation (PEC, multilayers, hydrogels, and fibrills); microfluidics assisted soft materials asssembly; hydrogel structure; bioresponsive hydrogels; biosensors; biopolymers at the single molecule level
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polysaccharides are an attractive source for hydrogels for many reasons, including the following: they occur abundantly; they originate almost exclusively from renewable sources; they offer a rich source in terms of building blocks and connectivity; they exploit various types of principles for interactions supporting gel formation; and they offer chemical groups that can be readily modified to alter and enhance their functionality. Polysaccharides exist either as homopolymers or heteropolymers. In the latter group, variations in the number of constituents, their sequential arrangements, and their connectivity in terms of branching can be found. This group of materials has also been reported to possess capacities that are biocompatible or that stimulate biological responses. There is an increasing interest in hydrogel materials, driven by a blend of the abovementioned facets. The particularities of the gel state, its formation, and how the molecular features of polysaccharides underpin hydrogel structure formation and the final hydrogel properties are often challenging to elucidate. These challenges of generating a comprehensive understanding are best addressed using a multi-tool approach, combining information at various scales. Furthermore, experimental approaches supplemented with theoretical and numerical studies appear to provide a more comprehensive description.
The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together researchers that are active in the field of polysaccharide hydrogels. Various topics are welcome, addressing, for example, structure formation during gelation, structure–function relationships, modification of polysaccharides and their use to exploit novel gelation mechanisms, applications of polysaccharide hydrogels, environmental aspects, hydrogel molding, and printing with polysaccharide hydrogels, to mention a few.
Prof. Dr. Bjørn Torger Stokke
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Polysaccharide sol–gel transition
- Gelation mechanisms
- Gel structure
- Novel gelation mechanisms
- Polysaccharide double network hydrogels
- Synergy
- Polysaccharide hydrogel molding
- Polysaccharide hydrogel printing
- Applications of polysaccharide hydrogels
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