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Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume
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Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Soft Matter".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2024) | Viewed by 5060

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hyung-Jun Koo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Republic of Korea
Interests: polymers; hydrogels; liquid metals; sensors; solar cells; capacitors; colloid assembly
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft materials are a condensed matter that can be deformed or reshaped, generally at room temperature. The range of soft materials is very broad. Some of the most important examples include polymers, gels, elastomers, colloids, liquid metals, and biomaterials, such as proteins and cells. Compared with hard materials, soft materials can have advantageous properties in terms of flexibility, moldability, processability, cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, etc. Soft materials have actively been adopted to numerous applications, ranging from cosmetics, food products, and packaging materials to energy devices, robotics, and biomedical applications. As interest in wearable/biocompatible devices increases, soft materials are attracting more and more attention. Recently, many efforts have been made to develop functional soft materials with a wide variety of functionalities, for example, stretchability, biodegradability, self-healing properties, stimuli-responsiveness, etc.

In this Special Issue, recent trends and developments in technologies related to functional soft materials will be highlighted and discussed. This Special Issue will cover, but will not be limited to, the following topics:

  • Synthesis and characterization of soft materials with new functionality;
  • Electronic devices;
  • Sensors;
  • Soft robotics;
  • Energy devices;
  • Biomedical applications.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Communications, full papers, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hyung-Jun Koo
Guest Editor

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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

  • synthesis and characterization of soft materials with new functionality
  • electronic devices
  • sensors
  • soft robotics
  • energy devices
  • biomedical applications

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2723 KiB  
Article
A Transparent Hydrogel-Ionic Conductor with High Water Retention and Self-Healing Ability
by Yangwoo Lee, Ju-Hee So and Hyung-Jun Koo
Materials 2024, 17(2), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17020288 - 6 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1692
Abstract
This study presents a transparent and ion-conductive hydrogel with suppressed water loss. The hydrogel comprises agarose polymer doped with sucrose and sodium chloride salt (NaCl–Suc/A hydrogel). Sucrose increases the water retention of the agarose gel, and the Na and Cl ions dissolved in [...] Read more.
This study presents a transparent and ion-conductive hydrogel with suppressed water loss. The hydrogel comprises agarose polymer doped with sucrose and sodium chloride salt (NaCl–Suc/A hydrogel). Sucrose increases the water retention of the agarose gel, and the Na and Cl ions dissolved in the gel provide ionic conductivity. The NaCl–Suc/A gel shows high retention capability and maintains a 45% water uptake after 4 h of drying at 60 °C without encapsulation at the optimum gel composition. The doped NaCl–Suc/A hydrogel demonstrates improved mechanical properties and ionic conductivity of 1.6 × 10−2 (S/cm) compared to the pristine agarose hydrogel. The self-healing property of the gel restores the electrical continuity when reassembled after cutting. Finally, to demonstrate a potential application of the ion-conductive hydrogel, a transparent and flexible pressure sensor is fabricated using the NaCl–Suc/A hydrogel, and its performance is demonstrated. The results of this study could contribute to solving problems with hydrogel-based devices such as rapid dehydration and poor mechanical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume)
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Review

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22 pages, 3147 KiB  
Review
Biocomposite Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering: Materials, Fabrication Techniques and Future Directions
by Naznin Sultana, Anisa Cole and Francine Strachan
Materials 2024, 17(22), 5577; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225577 - 15 Nov 2024
Viewed by 453
Abstract
Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that combines materials, methods, and biological molecules to engineer newly formed tissues to replace or restore functional organs. Biomaterials-based scaffolds play a crucial role in developing new tissue by interacting with human cells. Tissue engineering scaffolds with [...] Read more.
Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that combines materials, methods, and biological molecules to engineer newly formed tissues to replace or restore functional organs. Biomaterials-based scaffolds play a crucial role in developing new tissue by interacting with human cells. Tissue engineering scaffolds with ideal characteristics, namely, nontoxicity, biodegradability, and appropriate mechanical and surface properties, are vital for tissue regeneration applications. However, current biocomposite scaffolds face significant limitations, particularly in achieving structural durability, controlled degradation rates, and effective cellular integration. These qualities are essential for maintaining long-term functionality in vivo. Although commonly utilized biomaterials can provide physical and chemical properties needed for tissue regeneration, inadequate biomimetic properties, as well as insufficient interactions of cells-scaffolds interaction, still need to be improved for the application of tissue engineering in vivo. It is impossible to achieve some essential features using a single material, so combining two or more materials may accomplish the requirements. In order to achieve a proper scaffold design, a suitable fabrication technique and combination of biomaterials with controlled micro or nanostructures are needed to achieve the proper biological responses. This review emphasizes advancements in scaffold durability, biocompatibility, and cellular responsiveness. It focuses on natural and synthetic polymer combinations and innovative fabrication techniques. Developing stimulus-responsive 3D scaffolds is critical, as these scaffolds enhance cell adhesion and promote functional tissue formation while maintaining structural integrity over time. This review also highlights the natural polymers, smart materials, and recent advanced techniques currently used to create emerging scaffolds for tissue regeneration applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume)
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33 pages, 4731 KiB  
Review
Soft Matter Electrolytes: Mechanism of Ionic Conduction Compared to Liquid or Solid Electrolytes
by Kyuichi Yasui and Koichi Hamamoto
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205134 - 21 Oct 2024
Viewed by 768
Abstract
Soft matter electrolytes could solve the safety problem of widely used liquid electrolytes in Li-ion batteries which are burnable upon heating. Simultaneously, they could solve the problem of poor contact between electrodes and solid electrolytes. However, the ionic conductivity of soft matter electrolytes [...] Read more.
Soft matter electrolytes could solve the safety problem of widely used liquid electrolytes in Li-ion batteries which are burnable upon heating. Simultaneously, they could solve the problem of poor contact between electrodes and solid electrolytes. However, the ionic conductivity of soft matter electrolytes is relatively low when mechanical properties are relatively good. In the present review, mechanisms of ionic conduction in soft matter electrolytes are discussed in order to achieve higher ionic conductivity with sufficient mechanical properties where soft matter electrolytes are defined as polymer electrolytes and polymeric or inorganic gel electrolytes. They could also be defined by Young’s modulus from about 105 Pa to 109 Pa. Many soft matter electrolytes exhibit VFT (Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann) type temperature dependence of ionic conductivity. VFT behavior is explained by the free volume model or the configurational entropy model, which is discussed in detail. Mostly, the amorphous phase of polymer is a better ionic conductor compared to the crystalline phase. There are, however, some experimental and theoretical reports that the crystalline phase is a better ionic conductor. Some methods to increase the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes are discussed, such as cavitation under tensile deformation and the microporous structure of polymer electrolytes, which could be explained by the conduction mechanism of soft matter electrolytes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume)
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26 pages, 5582 KiB  
Review
Built-In Piezoelectric Nanogenerators Promote Sustainable and Flexible Supercapacitors: A Review
by Shuchang Meng, Ning Wang and Xia Cao
Materials 2023, 16(21), 6916; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16216916 - 27 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1559
Abstract
Energy storage devices such as supercapacitors (SCs), if equipped with built-in energy harvesters such as piezoelectric nanogenerators, will continuously power wearable electronics and become important enablers of the future Internet of Things. As wearable gadgets become flexible, energy items that can be fabricated [...] Read more.
Energy storage devices such as supercapacitors (SCs), if equipped with built-in energy harvesters such as piezoelectric nanogenerators, will continuously power wearable electronics and become important enablers of the future Internet of Things. As wearable gadgets become flexible, energy items that can be fabricated with greater compliance will be crucial, and designing them with sustainable and flexible strategies for future use will be important. In this review, flexible supercapacitors designed with built-in nanogenerators, mainly piezoelectric nanogenerators, are discussed in terms of their operational principles, device configuration, and material selection, with a focus on their application in flexible wearable electronics. While the structural design and materials selection are highlighted, the current shortcomings and challenges in the emerging field of nanogenerators that can be integrated into flexible supercapacitors are also discussed to make wearable devices more comfortable and sustainable. We hope this work may provide references, future directions, and new perspectives for the development of electrochemical power sources that can charge themselves by harvesting mechanical energy from the ambient environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Soft Materials—2nd Volume)
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