Recent Advances on Supramolecular Gels: From Stimuli-Responsive Gels to Co-Assembled and Self-Sorted Systems

Abstract

Abstract Gels prepared from low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) represent versatile soft materials. Self-assembly of LMWGs forms nanofibers and above critical gelation concentrations, the entanglement of which leads to self-supporting gels. Owing to the dynamic properties of the self-assembly process, stimuli-responsive LMWGs have prospered in the last decade. In addition, incorporating multiple LMWGs into one system brings the opportunity to achieve sophisticated designs and functions. This review covers recent advances in the field of supramolecular gels, from stimuli-responsive gelators to multicomponent systems that are self-sorting and/or co-assembling.

Keywords

• low-molecular-weight gelators
• supramolecular polymers
• stimuli-responsive systems
• dissipative systems
• self-sorting
• co-assembling