Gels最新文献

{"title":"Aminated Wood Aerogel via Tannic Acid/Polyethylenimine Co-Deposition for Enhanced Congo Red Removal.","authors":"Zhongjian Li, Luohui Wang, Xiaobo Xue, Man Yin, Lin Zhang, Xian Wang, Bing Zhou, Youming Dong, Xiangmeng Chen, Liuting Mo, Cheng Li","doi":"10.3390/gels12090846","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090846","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wood aerogel has emerged as a highly promising substrate for advanced adsorbents due to its green nature, low cost, high porosity, and unique three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network structure. Harnessing forest resources for developing high-performance aerogel materials is crucial for tackling organic dye pollution. This study presents a novel aminated wood-based aerogel engineered through the co-deposition of tannic acid (TA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) on a cellulose skeleton. The fabrication involved a top-down delignification process to create a porous wood aerogel framework, followed by the in situ loading of TA and the grafting of amino-rich PEI, resulting in the final TAPI-DW composite. Benefiting from the abundant active sites deposited on the aerogel's hierarchically porous surface and the grafted -NH₂ groups, TAPI-DW demonstrated an exceptional adsorption capacity for the anionic azo dye Congo red (CR). The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within approximately 6 h, with a lower pH environment promoting removal efficiency. Coexisting ion experiments indicated that the introduction of Ca²⁺ ions dramatically enhanced the CR adsorption capacity from 168.71 mg·g^-1 to 301.14 mg·g^-1. This superior capture performance is attributed to the synergistic interplay of the aerogel's aligned microchannels (derived from the native wood structure) for rapid mass transfer and the intensive chemical interactions, including electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π-π stacking between CR molecules and the functional groups (-NH₂ and -OH) on the 3D skeleton. The Freundlich model fitting suggests a complex multilayer adsorption process on this heterogeneous wood aerogel surface. This work establishes a green and sustainable pathway for fabricating high-value biomass aerogel materials that show promise as candidates for the efficient remediation of dye-contaminated water. Further studies on reusability and long-term stability are needed to fully validate their potential for practical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606407/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Paradigm for Sustainable Food Packaging: Construction, Properties, and Applications of Multifunctional Hydrogels.","authors":"Jin Yao, Zhen Cao, Tian Zhao","doi":"10.3390/gels12090847","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090847","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conventional petroleum-based plastic packaging is facing formidable challenges in terms of both environmental sustainability and precise quality regulation of food products, compelling the food packaging industry to pivot toward biodegradable, recyclable, and intelligent solutions. Hydrogels, characterized by their unique three-dimensional network architecture, high water content, and excellent biocompatibility, have emerged as promising candidates for constructing next-generation sustainable food-packaging systems. This review presents a structured critical overview of the recent progress in multifunctional hydrogels derived from natural and synthetic polymers for food packaging applications. We begin by summarizing the structural characteristics and functional attributes of various polymeric substrates from different sources. Subsequently, we place emphasis on elucidating the molecular design and microstructural engineering strategies that enable enhanced mechanical properties, confer antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and impart pH/gas-responsive intelligent functionalities. Furthermore, the regulatory mechanisms of forming and processing technologies-including solution casting, electrospinning, and three-dimensional printing-on the structure and performance of hydrogel-based packaging materials are discussed in depth. Finally, in view of the key bottlenecks currently impeding the widespread adoption of hydrogel packaging materials, particularly regarding water resistance, scalable production, and cost control, we outline future directions toward multifunctional synergism and quantitatively evaluated life-cycle performance. This review aims to provide a systematic theoretical basis and technical reference for the rational design of high-performance, intelligent, and sustainable food packaging systems for the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606093/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regulation of Rainbow Trout Muscle Myofibrillar Networks by Non-Enzymatic Bioactive Compounds from <i>Chaenomeles speciosa</i>.","authors":"Rui Chai, Yidian Li, Zibo Song, Xuejiao Wang, Zhenna Zhang, Chaofan Guo, Junjie Yi","doi":"10.3390/gels12090845","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090845","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During marination and boiling processes, structural rearrangement of muscle proteins plays an important role in determining the texture, water retention, and flavor quality of fish products. This study investigated the effects of <i>Chaenomeles speciosa</i> aqueous extract (SE), rich in non-enzymatic bioactive compounds, on the myofibrillar networks of rainbow trout muscle. The effects of SE on rainbow trout muscle quality were evaluated under marination and boiling conditions. SE treatment improved muscle tenderness, water-holding capacity, and flavor characteristics under both processing conditions. The hardness of boiled muscle decreased from 15.06 N in the control group to 6.03-8.29 N after SE treatment, while shear force decreased by 19-31% and 18-32% under marination and boiling conditions, respectively. The water-holding capacity of boiled muscle reached approximately 78-79% after treatment with SE at 80 mg/mL. Structural analyses, including low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy, suggested that SE treatment was associated with changes in water distribution and the formation of a relatively looser and more flexible myofibrillar network, which may be related to alterations in protein conformation, surface hydrophobicity, and thiol-disulfide balance. Furthermore, low-to-moderate SE concentrations reduced key fishy odor-related compounds, with octanal decreasing by 70.2% in the SE-80-B group. Importantly, these effects were still observed after boiling, when protease activity was undetectable, suggesting that heat-stable non-enzymatic components of SE may play a role in modifying muscle protein organization beyond the effects of acidification or proteolysis. Overall, SE may serve as a potential natural ingredient for improving the processing quality of rainbow trout products.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606523/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149060086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Gelatin to GelMA: Versatility, Challenges, and Biomedical Applications of GelMA Hydrogels.","authors":"Federica Gemignani, Giulia Mesiano, Pompeo Marco Gaudiosi, Fabrizio Candido Pirri, Francesca Frascella","doi":"10.3390/gels12090844","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090844","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gelatin is a natural biopolymer derived from collagen and is widely employed in biomedical applications because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, water solubility, and intrinsic thermo-responsive gelation behavior. Owing to the presence of bioactive motifs and its ability to form hydrogels under mild conditions, gelatin has emerged as a promising material for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and in vitro modeling. However, the poor mechanical stability and rapid dissolution of native gelatin under physiological conditions limit its direct use in advanced biomedical systems. To overcome these drawbacks, several chemical modification strategies have been developed, among which gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) is one of the most investigated derivatives. GelMA combines the biological advantages of gelatin with photo-crosslinkable methacryloyl groups, enabling the fabrication of stable hydrogels with tunable mechanical, rheological, and degradation properties. This review adopts a source-to-performance perspective, systematically examining how gelatin origin, processing history, molecular characteristics, and Bloom strength may influence GelMA functionalization and subsequent hydrogel network formation. Particular attention is given to Type A and Type B gelatin, while recognizing that this classification does not fully capture the variability in the gelatin precursor. The review critically discusses how precursor characteristics interact with key synthesis and formulation parameters, including the degree of substitution/functionalization (DS/DoF), polymer concentration, photoinitiator content, and photo-crosslinking conditions, ultimately affecting network formation and the mechanical, rheological, swelling, porosity, degradation, and biological properties of GelMA hydrogels. This interconnected view highlights how variability introduced at the precursor level may propagate through functionalization and crosslinking, contributing to differences in GelMA performance and limiting direct comparison among reported formulations. The implications of these material-dependent properties are examined across three major biomedical application areas: tissue engineering, controlled drug delivery, and physiologically relevant three-dimensional in vitro models. Finally, current challenges and emerging opportunities related to GelMA standardization, biofabrication, multifunctional hydrogel design, personalized medicine, and clinical translation are considered. Overall, GelMA is presented not simply as a versatile biomaterial, but as a tunable protein-derived platform whose performance depends on the interconnected effects of precursor characteristics, functionalization, formulation, and network formation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606600/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Osteogenic Response of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) to an Alginate/Chitosan/Cannabidiol Hydrogel.","authors":"Hernan Santiago Garzon, Lina Suárez, Daniel Suárez","doi":"10.3390/gels12090843","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090843","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the osteogenic differentiation and paracrine response of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) cultured within a 3D-printed alginate/chitosan/cannabidiol (CBD) hydrogel. DPSCs from a single donor (passage 6; n = 3 technical replicates per condition) were cultured as monolayers or on hydrogel constructs (CBD 0-12 mg/mL) in basal or osteogenic medium for 7, 14, and 21 days. Alizarin Red S staining confirmed retention of osteogenic competence. Supernatant osteoprotegerin (OPG) and RANKL were quantified by Luminex immunoassay. Monolayer cultures produced up to 7867.5 ± 676.8 pg/mL OPG, whereas hydrogel cultures yielded 9.7-69.3 pg/mL (98-99.8% reduction; <i>p</i> < 0.001). RANKL remained stable at 9-11 pg/mL across all conditions; neither analyte varied with CBD concentration. The OPG/RANKL ratio collapsed from 215-858 to 1.0-6.3 in hydrogel groups. Since RANKL-co-secreted by the same cells-was unaffected, a generalized cellular or secretory deficit is unlikely to explain the selective OPG decrease. The data are consistent with charge-selective retention of cationic OPG (pI ≈ 8.5-9.0) within the anionic alginate network, although this mechanism remains hypothetical pending direct adsorption and ζ-potential verification. These findings indicate that scaffold fixed charge constitutes an active variable in the apparent secretome of three-dimensional cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606293/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149060023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polymeric Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitors in NaCl Brine-Sediment Media: Hydrate Performance, Rheological Structuring, and Interfacial Responses.","authors":"Guan-Lin Zhong, Ren Wang, Jian-Long Wang, Hui-Cui Sun, Jin-Sheng Sun, Lu-Man Liu, Jin-Tao Weng, Ping-Ya Luo","doi":"10.3390/gels12090842","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gas hydrate plugging remains a persistent flow-assurance challenge in offshore oil and gas operations. PVP, pectin, CMCS, and PASP were compared at 0.1-0.5 wt% in pure water, 3.5 wt% NaCl brine, pure water-sediment, and brine-sediment media using hydrate kinetics, Raman spectroscopy, CST, SEM/EDS, zeta potential, viscosity screening, and quantitative rheology. At 0.5 wt% and 3 °C, all sediment-containing formulations were shear-thinning. CSS ramps revealed continuous stress-dependent flow consistent with progressive yielding, while oscillatory measurements indicated weak elastic-dominant responses for polymer-containing suspensions. Pectin gave the highest storage modulus and the strongest salinity-induced increase in oscillatory flow-point stress (approximately 0.092 to 0.178 Pa), whereas PASP retained the most favorable multimetric KHI response and the highest 500 s recovery in brine-sediment. PVP shifted from an oscillatory flow point above 0.209 Pa in pure water-sediment to approximately 0.156 Pa in brine-sediment. These results show that small-deformation stiffness, steady yielding, oscillatory flow transition, post-shear recovery, and KHI performance are distinct but partially coupled material responses. The combined evidence supports weak, deformable polymer-sediment structuring rather than a single rheological strength mechanism governing hydrate inhibition.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149060002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gummies: From Confectionery to Functional Hydrogel-Based Bioactive Delivery Systems.","authors":"Max Vásquez-Senador, Indira Pérez-Bermúdez, Patricio Orellana-Palma, Guillermo Petzold","doi":"10.3390/gels12090841","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090841","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gummies have evolved from traditional confectionery products into hydrogel-based systems capable of incorporating and releasing bioactive compounds. This review examines the main formulation and technological factors governing their structure and functionality, with an emphasis on the use of hydrocolloids, alternative sweetening systems, and molecular interactions, the incorporation of bioactives, and the recent use of emerging technologies in their production. The literature was retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, encompassing studies published between 2005 and August 2026. The literature shows that the type of hydrocolloid and the sweetener composition strongly influence gel formation, water mobility, hydrogen bonding, crystallization, texture, and storage stability. Plant byproducts, extracts, and marine-derived ingredients provide additional sources of bioactive compounds, while microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation, high-pressure processing, cryoconcentration, ultrasound, and 3D printing offer opportunities to enhance their protection and release. However, interactions between bioactive compounds and the gel matrix can affect texture, sensory acceptance, stability, and bioaccessibility. Therefore, developing functional gummies requires a comprehensive understanding of formulation, hydrogel structure, processing conditions, and bioactive stability to obtain products with suitable technological, sensory, and functional properties.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606838/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preparation and High-Temperature Fracture-Sealing Performance of an Oil-Absorbing Swelling Gel for Lost-Circulation Control in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids.","authors":"Kun Zhang, Qiwei Liang, Xin Chen, Jing Yan, Dong Guo, Yongqiang Pan, Xiuyu Zhu, Xuntao Jiang, Jingbin Yang","doi":"10.3390/gels12090840","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090840","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lost circulation in fractured formations remains challenging for oil-based drilling fluids because conventional rigid bridging materials can be sensitive to fracture geometry and form porous seals. In this study, an oil-absorbing swelling gel plugging agent (OSGP) was prepared by water-in-oil emulsion free-radical polymerization. Its oil-induced swelling, strain-dependent viscoelasticity, and bidirectional fracture-sealing behavior were evaluated together with morphology and thermal mass-loss behavior. After 12 h in white oil at 120 °C, the particle volume increased by 19.2%. At 25 °C, OSGP showed an elastic-dominant response with strain-induced softening. In independent fracture-sealing tests at 120 °C, OSGP formed pressure-bearing seals in both 3 mm parallel and 3 mm-to-1 mm wedge-shaped steel fractures, with a maximum forward breakthrough pressure of 8.06 MPa. Comparison of forward and reverse tests showed that fracture geometry and flow direction strongly affected pressure-bearing behavior. The combined results support a proposed sealing process involving particle bridging, oil-induced swelling, deformation, and compaction. OSGP therefore shows potential for further evaluation as a lost-circulation material in fully formulated oil-based drilling fluids and rock fractures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606371/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of Pharmabiotic Gel-Serums with <i>Lacticaseibacillus casei</i> Postbiotics and Paraprobiotics Using Chitosan and Carbopol.","authors":"Pervin Soyer, A Alper Öztürk","doi":"10.3390/gels12090838","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090838","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Postbiotic and paraprobiotic preparations are increasingly investigated as non-viable microbial-derived components for topical formulation development, offering an alternative to systems containing live microorganisms. However, their physicochemical and biological performance may depend strongly on the polymeric carrier, and direct comparisons of postbiotic and paraprobiotic fractions derived from the same microbial source in different gel matrices remain limited. This study aimed to develop and comparatively evaluate Carbopol&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt;- and chitosan-based pharmabiotic gel-serums containing &lt;i&gt;Lacticaseibacillus casei&lt;/i&gt;-derived postbiotic (PB) and paraprobiotic (PPB) fractions. The formulations were characterized in terms of macroscopic appearance, pH, spreadability, and rheological behavior, and their antimicrobial activity, effects on preformed biofilm biomass, and DPPH radical-scavenging activity were evaluated. Blank Carbopol&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; and chitosan formulations and free PB and PPB fractions were included as controls to distinguish formulation-matrix-associated effects from those observed for the complete formulations. The developed gel-serums exhibited homogeneous initial macroscopic characteristics, pH values ranging from 4.22 to 5.66, and pseudoplastic shear-thinning behavior. Among the PB-containing systems, CA-CS-PB exhibited pronounced antimicrobial activity, with inhibition-zone diameters of 18.00 mm against &lt;i&gt;Candida albicans&lt;/i&gt; and 19.93 mm against &lt;i&gt;Candida krusei&lt;/i&gt;, and MIC values of 1156 μg/mL against both species. CA-CS-PB also reduced preformed &lt;i&gt;Staphylococcus aureus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Pseudomonas aeruginosa&lt;/i&gt; biofilm biomass by 92.89% and 87.63%, respectively, and exhibited the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity (73.50%). Among the PPB-containing systems, CA-C-PPB produced reductions of 94.63% and 93.71% in preformed &lt;i&gt;S. aureus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;P. aeruginosa&lt;/i&gt; biofilm biomass, respectively. Blank formulations also exhibited measurable biological responses, indicating that the activities of the complete formulations should be interpreted as formulation-level effects rather than being attributed exclusively to the incorporated PB or PPB fractions. Because PB and PPB were incorporated at different concentrations (5% and 1% &lt;i&gt;w&lt;/i&gt;/&lt;i&gt;w&lt;/i&gt;, respectively), these findings should not be interpreted as an equivalent-dose comparison of their intrinsic biological potency. Overall, the findings demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating &lt;i&gt;L. casei&lt;/i&gt;-derived PB and PPB fractions into different polymeric gel-serum systems and highlight the influence of both the pharmabiotic fraction and carrier matrix on formulation performance. These results support further investigation of these systems as topical formulation platforms; however, storage stability, release behavior, compositional characterization, and skin-relevant safety and performance require further evaluation before dermocosmetic or dermatological applicability ","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606687/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149059697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating Kinetic Characterization of Variable-Rate Fatigue Process of SBS Asphalt Mixture with Physical Gel Structures.","authors":"Chenze Fang, Jiahao Yang, Menghao Wang, Hongbin Zhu, Pingfan Hu","doi":"10.3390/gels12090839","DOIUrl":"10.3390/gels12090839","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fatigue of an SBS asphalt mixture with physical gel structures under repeated loading is a variable-rate mechanical process. However, there is a lack of a mechanical characterization mechanism to accurately quantify this process. This study aims to propose a method for mechanically characterizing the variable-rate fatigue process of the SBS asphalt mixture based on kinetics theory. First, indirect tensile monotonic and repeated-loading tests with advantages of easy specimen fabrication, good test repeatability, and widespread use in pavement fatigue evaluation were conducted at 15 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C to obtain the mechanical response of SBS asphalt mixtures. Then, a permanent strain model accounting for damage of the SBS asphalt mixture was established based on viscoelastic damage theory. Finally, a fatigue damage kinetic model was developed. The parameters, represented in terms of lumped damage sensitivity exponent (<i>β</i>) and fatigue activation energy (<i>E</i>_a), were determined to quantitatively characterize the variable-rate fatigue behavior of the SBS asphalt mixture. The results show that the established permanent strain model accounting for damage can accurately capture the nonlinear evolution of fatigue damage and permanent strain in SBS asphalt mixtures. The parameter <i>β</i> can serve as a reliable mechanical indicator for quantifying the fatigue process rate. The fitted kinetic parameter <i>E</i>_a can reasonably characterize the magnitude of the energy barrier governing the temperature-dependent variable-rate fatigue process. Macroscopically, the SBS asphalt mixture presents an elevated fatigue damage energy threshold compared with the base mixture. According to existing literature, this difference may be associated with three-dimensional physical gel structures from the SBS polymer. Within the scope of the present test conditions, kinetics theory shows potential as a theoretical framework for quantifying and characterizing the variable-rate fatigue behavior observed for SBS asphalt mixtures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12506,"journal":{"name":"Gels","volume":"12 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13606750/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149060058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}