Gel formation by surfactant molecules is argued to be a process similar to micellization rather than crystallization; it is controlled by thermodynamics rather than kinetics. The properties of surfactant-based gels are compared with those of gels with crystalline fibrillar networks, and questions associated with the nature of these gels are raised.

We studied the effects of extracellular matrix components on fibroblast contraction of hydrated collagen gels. After 4-h incubations, heparin-containing collagen gels contracted only 10% compared with 50% contraction of control gels. Contraction was not affected by hyaluronic acid, dermatan sulfate, or fibronectin, implying that the activity of heparin was specific. The possibility that heparin...

Colloidal Gels In article 2300122, Lin and co-workers show that polyurethane based colloidal gels provide synchronized mechanomorphological guidance for the aggregation organization of cells to control their functional state in 3D microenvironment. Chondrogenesis mesenchymal stem network formation endothelial are promoted on these gel matrices.