Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels

Dear Colleagues

Research on the development of new hydrogels with specific functionalities based on polymers from natural sources is presently outstanding due to the increasing environmental concerns. Hydrogels find applicability in diverse fields such as biomedicine, pharmaceutics and cosmetics, agriculture, purification of waste-water, soil remediation, etc. The resulting biopolymer-based hydrogels are highly appreciated not only due to their high hydrophilicity, inherent biocompatibility, and biodegradability, but also due to their reactive pendant groups that turn them into tunable functional hydrogels. Conveniently using these reactive sites, the degree of crosslinking, the swelling capacity or the stimuli responsiveness of the hydrogel can be tailored, and specific interactions with (bio)molecules, living organisms or tissues and surfaces of interest can be promoted.

This Special Issue is aimed at collecting the most recent advances in research concerning functional biopolymer-based hydrogels for different application fields, including those focused on the chemistry of functionalization of the biopolymers, the synthesis and development procedures, and the characterization of the hydrogels in the form of original papers, short communications, and review articles.

Prof. Dr. Nagore Gabilondo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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.