Special Issue with selected papers from Gelsympo2012 held in Tsukuba, Japan on October 9-12, 2012

摘要

We have held 9th International Gel (Gelsympo2012) in Tsukuba, Japan on October 9-12, 2012. Gelsympo2012 has been organized by Polymer Gel Network, Japan (PGN-J), and focused on the topic of "Challenges and Emerging Technologies in the Polymer Gels". In addition to the conventional applications of gels in food and cosmetics, sensors, separation systems, and optical devices, the symposium covered the applications in industries such as MEMS, display techniques, and fuel cells, and in bioscience in the areas of drug delivery, biomedical implants, tissue engineering, and biomimetic materials. More than 20 leading scientists from Asia, Europe, and America were invited to the symposium. The program included two keynote plenary tails, 18 plenary talks, 34 oral presentations and ca. 150 poster presentations. In addition, there were 6 educational lectures about gel basics and applications.