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Polymers
Special Issues
Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels
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Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 11772

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Nagore Gabilondo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering of Gipuzkoa, University of Basque Country, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
Interests: the development of biopolymer-based hydrogels; synthesis and chemical modification of (bio)polymers; click-chemistry in biopolymers; bacterial cellulose functional derivatives and bionanocomposites

Special Issue Information

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

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. Polymers 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 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.

Keywords

  • Functionalization reactions on biopolymers
  • Chemical crosslinking on biopolymer-based hydrogels
  • (Multi)functional biopolymers
  • Click chemistry for biopolymer-based hydrogels
  • Labelling of biopolymers for targeted drug delivery
  • Biopolymer-based nanogels
  • Stimuli-responsive (bio)hydrogels
  • Biopolymers in nanocomposite hydrogels

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3011 KiB  
Article
Injectability of Thermosensitive, Low-Concentrated Chitosan Colloids as Flow Phenomenon through the Capillary under High Shear Rate Conditions
by Anna Rył and Piotr Owczarz
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2260; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12102260 - 01 Oct 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2496
Abstract
Low-concentrated colloidal chitosan systems undergoing a thermally induced sol–gel phase transition are willingly studied due to their potential use as minimally invasive injectable scaffolds. Nevertheless, instrumental injectability tests to determine their clinical utility are rarely performed. The aim of this work was to [...] Read more.
Low-concentrated colloidal chitosan systems undergoing a thermally induced sol–gel phase transition are willingly studied due to their potential use as minimally invasive injectable scaffolds. Nevertheless, instrumental injectability tests to determine their clinical utility are rarely performed. The aim of this work was to analyze the flow phenomenon of thermosensitive chitosan systems with the addition of disodium β-glycerophosphate through hypodermic needles. Injectability tests were performed using a texture analyzer and hypodermic needles in the sizes 14G–25G. The rheological properties were determined by the flow curve, three-interval thixotropy test (3ITT), and Cox–Merz rule. It was found that reducing the needle diameter and increasing its length and the crosshead speed increased the injection forces. It was claimed that under the considered flow conditions, there was no need to take into account the viscoelastic properties of the medium, and the model used to predict the injection force, based solely on the shear-thinning nature of the experimental material, showed very good agreement with the experimental data in the shear rate range of 200–55,000 s−1. It was observed that the increase in the shear rate value led to macroscopic structural changes of the chitosan sol caused by the disentangling and ordering of the polysaccharide chains along the shear field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels)
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15 pages, 4808 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Mg0.99 Zn0.01O Nanoparticles for the Fabrication of κ-Carrageenan/NaCMC Hydrogel in order to Deliver Catechin
by Farzaneh Sabbagh, Khadijeh Kiarostami, Nadia Mahmoudi Khatir, Shahabaldin Rezania and Ida Idayu Muhamad
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 861; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12040861 - 09 Apr 2020
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 3321
Abstract
Currently, the role of the nanoparticles in the structure of the composites and their benefits for the health of the body is valuable. In this study, the effects of the doping on the structural and morphological properties of the hydrogels using a Mg [...] Read more.
Currently, the role of the nanoparticles in the structure of the composites and their benefits for the health of the body is valuable. In this study, the effects of the doping on the structural and morphological properties of the hydrogels using a Mg co-doped ZnO hydrogel, which has been fabricated by the sol–gel process, have been investigated. Then, a hydrogel containing nanoparticle and a hydrogel without any nanoparticles was produced as a control. The hydrogels were loaded with catechin and the related characterization was evolved based on the new structure of the matrices. The Mg0.99Zn0.01O nanoparticles were synthesized using a green synthesis method. To investigate the properties of the nanoparticles, zeta potential and XRD were studied. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), FTIR, TGA, swelling Ratio, and compression tests were investigated for the hydrogels. Based on the results, FESEM showed a more compressed structure for hydrogels including nanoparticles rather than the hydrogels without a nanoparticle. The TGA showed a higher decomposition temperature in the hydrogels including nanoparticles. The swelling ratio of hydrogels containing a nanoparticle was higher than the control hydrogel. κ-Carrageenan/ Mg0.99Zn0.01O/NaCMC/Catechin had the highest swelling ratio (44.15%) rather than the κ-Carrageenan/NaCMC (33.22%). Mg0.99Zn0.01O nanoparticles presented a stronger structure of hydrogels in the compression test. It is concluded that the role of the synthesized nanoparticle is critical in the structure of the hydrogel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels)
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Review

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14 pages, 2530 KiB  
Review
Gradient Hydrogels—The State of the Art in Preparation Methods
by Natalia Zinkovska, Jiri Smilek and Miloslav Pekar
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 966; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12040966 - 21 Apr 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5574
Abstract
Gradient hydrogels refer to hydrogel materials with a gradual or abrupt change in one or some of their properties. They represent examples of more sophisticated gel materials in comparison to simple, native gel networks. Here, we review techniques used to prepare gradient hydrogels [...] Read more.
Gradient hydrogels refer to hydrogel materials with a gradual or abrupt change in one or some of their properties. They represent examples of more sophisticated gel materials in comparison to simple, native gel networks. Here, we review techniques used to prepare gradient hydrogels which have been reported in literature over the last few years. A variety of simple preparation methods are available, most of which can be relatively easily utilized in standard laboratories Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels)
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