Assistant Professor | Istanbul University | Turkey
Assist. Prof. Dr. Esra Su is a distinguished researcher whose scholarly contributions focus predominantly on Hydrogels, reflecting a sustained commitment to advancing innovative material systems with functional relevance. Her research pursuits demonstrate deep expertise in the design, characterization, and application of smart polymer networks, with Hydrogels positioned at the core of her academic identity. She has developed multifaceted Hydrogels with adaptive viscoelastic behavior, dynamic bonding, shape memory features, antibacterial functionality, biocompatibility, underwater adhesion and responsive performance tailored for biomedical and environmental use. Through her active engagement in notable research projects, she has contributed to the advancement of Hydrogels for water purification, food packaging, biosensing and tissue engineering, while also exploring supramolecular organization, polyampholyte chemistry and cryogel development as complementary research pathways. With over twenty peer reviewed journal publications indexed in SCI and SCIE, her output reflects strong collaboration networks that link academia and industry, advancing the scientific impact of Hydrogels through interdisciplinary integration. She is credited with significant work on nanoparticle modified Hydrogels, organohydrogels, cryogel composites and biosynthetic hydrogel scaffolds, all of which reinforce her expertise in polymeric materials. Her contributions include experimental design, synthesis of responsive Hydrogels and translation of laboratory materials toward practical societal benefit, particularly in biomedicine, environmental remediation and biomaterials engineering. Hydrogels repeatedly appear throughout her publication portfolio, demonstrating her recognized leadership in the evolution of next generation dynamic polymer systems. Her commitment to research excellence continues to expand the analytical, mechanical and structural scope of Hydrogels for global scientific progress and technological innovation. Scopus profile of 340 Citations, 20 Documents, 9 h index.
Profiles: Google Scholar | ORCID
Featured Publications
1. Su, E., Yurtsever, M., & Okay, O. (2019). A self‐healing and highly stretchable polyelectrolyte hydrogel via cooperative hydrogen bonding as a superabsorbent polymer. Macromolecules, 52(9), 3257–3267.
2. Oh, Okay. (2017). Polyampholyte hydrogels formed via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. European Polymer Journal, 88, 191–204.
3. Oh, Okay. (2018). Hybrid cross-linked poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) hydrogels with tunable viscoelastic, mechanical and self-healing properties. Reactive and Functional Polymers, 123, 70–79.
4. Su, E., Bilici, C., Bayazit, G., Ide, S., & Okay, O. (2021). Solvent-free UV polymerization of n-octadecyl acrylate in butyl rubber: A simple way to produce tough and smart polymeric materials at ambient temperature. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13(18), 21786–21799.
5. Sekizkardes, B., Su, E., & Okay, O. (2023). Mechanically strong superabsorbent terpolymer hydrogels based on AMPS via hydrogen-bonding interactions. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 5(3), 2043–2050.