Forging out-of-equilibrium supramolecular gels

The design of supramolecular hydrogels comprising aligned domains is important for the fabrication of biomimetic materials and applications in optoelectronics. One way to access such materials is by the self-assembly of small molecules into long fibres, which can be aligned using an external stimulus. Out-of-equilibrium supramolecular gels can also be designed, where pre-programmed changes of state can be induced by the addition of chemical fuels. Here we exploit these dynamic properties to form materials with aligned domains through a 'forging' approach: an external force is used to rearrange the underlying network from random to aligned fibres as the system undergoes a pre-programmed gel-to-sol-to-gel transition. We show that we can predictably organize the supramolecular fibres, leading to controllable formation of materials with aligned domains through a high degree of temporal control.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Synthesis
Published
2024-09-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-024-00623-4
Citations
17
Primary Topic
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.95

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Forging out-of-equilibrium supramolecular gels

Harish Poptani, Edward H. Egelman, Marko Bek, Ann E. Terry et al.
17 citations
Nature Synthesis
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
2.95
article

Forging out-of-equilibrium supramolecular gels

Harish Poptani, Edward H. Egelman, Marko Bek, Ann E. Terry, Dave J. Adams, Tomás S. Plivelic, Ravi R. Sonani, Santanu Panja, Marco Marcello, Roland Kádár, Simona Bianco, Roberto Appio, Emma Bowley, Fin Hallam Stewart, Asra Zyar, Mahon L. Maguire
article en
17 citations

Abstract

The design of supramolecular hydrogels comprising aligned domains is important for the fabrication of biomimetic materials and applications in optoelectronics. One way to access such materials is by the self-assembly of small molecules into long fibres, which can be aligned using an external stimulus. Out-of-equilibrium supramolecular gels can also be designed, where pre-programmed changes of state can be induced by the addition of chemical fuels. Here we exploit these dynamic properties to form materials with aligned domains through a 'forging' approach: an external force is used to rearrange the underlying network from random to aligned fibres as the system undergoes a pre-programmed gel-to-sol-to-gel transition. We show that we can predictably organize the supramolecular fibres, leading to controllable formation of materials with aligned domains through a high degree of temporal control.

Nature SynthesisVol. 3(12)
University of Liverpool (GB), Lund University (SE), MAX IV Laboratory (SE), University of Virginia (US), Chalmers University of Technology (SE), University of Glasgow (GB)
British Society of Rheology, University of Glasgow, VINNOVA, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Vetenskapsrådet, National Institutes of Health, Medical Research Council, Medical Research Foundation
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
2.95
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.