Supramolecular Gels: Preparation, Properties and Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 306
Special Issue Editors
Interests: supramolecular gels; co-assembly; conductive polymers; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: the design and synthesis of novel polymer or supramolecular hydrogels; chiral biomaterials; three-dimensional tissue engineering materials; the visualization of cell-matrix interaction in three dimensions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mother nature has always inspired us in developing novel functional materials for the advancement of civilization. Molecular self-assembly, responsible for the emergence, maintenance, and advancement of life, is a pervasive phenomenon in nature. Mimicking this natural phenomenon of molecular self-assembly gives rise to the formation of supramolecular soft hydrogels with a myriad of practical applications. These hydrogels are produced from the supramolecular self-assembly of small molecules leading to anisotropic nano-sized fibers that eventually cross-link by physical bonds entrapping a large number of solvent molecules. This entrapment forms the semi-solid soft architecture of the hydrogels. Since these hydrogels are made of supramolecular interactions including hydrogen bonding, van der Waals, charge-transfer, dipole–dipole, pi–pi stacking, coordination interactions, etc., they are bestowed with the wonderful property of stimuli-responsiveness. Compared to conventional cross-linked polymeric hydrogels, the properties of supramolecular hydrogels can be easily modulated, and they do not require any additional cross-linking. Moreover, supramolecular hydrogels are free from reagents, such as initiators, enzymes, or catalysts, that may be present in cross-linked polymeric hydrogels and cause cytotoxicity.
Due to these advantages, supramolecular hydrogels find wide applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, pollutant capture, electronics, and so on. Not to belittle polymeric hydrogels, supramolecular hydrogels are the next generation of smart materials.
Dr. Priyadarshi Chakraborty
Prof. Dr. Chuanliang Feng
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- self-assembly
- hydrogel
- supramolecular chemistry
- peptides
- tissue engineering
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