Gels are soft condensed matter systems consisting of a percolating, solid-like network dispersed within a continuous fluid phase, exhibiting a finite elastic modulus and yield stress despite being predominantly liquid by volume. The network can arise from physical associations (e.g., hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, chain entanglements) or covalent crosslinks between polymer chains, colloidal particles, or other mesoscopic building blocks, producing a mechanically stable, non-flowing structure. Their rheological behavior is characterized by viscoelasticity, with solid-like response at low stresses and flow under higher stresses, and their properties depend sensitively on crosslink density, microstructure, and solvent quality.
Each year, bacterial infections are responsible for roughly 7.7 million deaths worldwide, with this problem further exacerbated by rising antibiotic resistance. Not only are wound infections increasingly difficult to treat, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 3, 2026
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Researchers at the University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are collaborating on a new way to dry non-aggregated cellulose nanofiber—a material that could replace ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 31, 2026
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45
The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can't just neatly glide past each other.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 31, 2026
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106
Researchers have developed a new class of ultra-thin, flexible bioelectronic material that can seamlessly interface with living tissues. They introduced a novel device called THIN (transformable and imperceptible hydrogel-elastomer ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 10, 2025
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153
Within tissues, cells are embedded in complex, three-dimensional structures known as the extracellular matrix. Their biomechanical interactions play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Scientists at the Max Planck ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 2, 2025
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The shelf life of a sunscreen, the stability of mayonnaise, the effectiveness of a drug; these all depend on what is happening within the materials that make up gels or glasses, disordered structures that change slowly over ...
Space Exploration
Dec 2, 2025
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39
How did life begin? An international team of researchers from Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and Germany suggest that the answer may lie in sticky, surface-bound gels that existed long before the first cells.
Astrobiology
Dec 1, 2025
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39
Scientists at the University of Osaka have developed a novel hydrogel that enables the efficient, three-dimensional (3D) culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 12, 2025
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31
A team of researchers from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Tokyo Metropolitan University has developed a biomaterial that could change how we treat muscle degeneration and metabolic disorders.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 3, 2025
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19
Wearable or implantable devices to monitor biological activities, such as heart rate, are useful, but they are typically made of metals, silicon, plastic and glass and must be surgically implanted. A research team in the ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 24, 2025
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