Journal
SOFT MATTER
Volume 14, Issue 25, Pages 5213-5221Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00639c
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51773070, 51373060, 51433002]
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Supramolecular hydrogels have been widely investigated, but the construction of stimuli-responsive mono-component host-guest hydrogels remains a challenge in that it is still hard to balance the solubility and gelation ability of the gelator. In this work, three azobenzene-modified beta-cyclodextrin derivatives with different alkyl lengths (beta-CD-Azo-C-n) have been synthesized. The length of the alkyl chain dramatically influences the solubility and gelation ability of beta-CD derivatives in water. Among these derivatives, beta-CD-Azo-C-8 possesses the lowest minimum gelation concentration (MGC). Based on the host-guest interaction between beta-CD and azobenzene units in aqueous solution, which is confirmed by UV-visible and ROESY NMR spectra, the gelators self-assemble and further interwine into networks through the hydrogen bonds on the surface of beta-CD cavities. Hydrogels formed by mono-component gelators can collapse under external stimuli such as heating, competition guests and hosts, and UV irradiation. When the concentration of the gelator is more than 8 wt%, the hydrogel exhibits good self-supporting ability with a storage modulus higher than 104 Pa. The gel-sol transition temperature of the hydrogel is near body temperature, indicating its potential applications in biological materials.
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