Photo-Crosslinked Coumarin-Containing Bis-Urea Amphiphile Hydrogels

Jie Liu; Xianwen Lou; Maaike J. G. Schotman; Patricia P. Marín San Román; Rint P. Sijbesma

doi:10.3390/gels8100615

Gels (Sep 2022)

Photo-Crosslinked Coumarin-Containing Bis-Urea Amphiphile Hydrogels

Jie Liu,
Xianwen Lou,
Maaike J. G. Schotman,
Patricia P. Marín San Román,
Rint P. Sijbesma

Affiliations

Jie Liu: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Xianwen Lou: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Maaike J. G. Schotman: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Patricia P. Marín San Román: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Rint P. Sijbesma: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100615
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 10
p. 615

Abstract

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The design of photo-responsive supramolecular hydrogels based on coumarin dimerization and de-dimerization is described. The photo-responsive coumarin unit is chemically incorporated into an oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) bis-urea amphiphile that is capable of co-assembling with non-functionalized OEG amphiphile, to form supramolecular fibers. UV light with two different wavelengths (365 nm and 254 nm) is employed to induce a photo-reversible dimerization and de-dimerization process of coumarin units, respectively. The co-assembled solutions could be photo-crosslinked to induce a sol-to-gel transition through dimerization of coumarin with 365 nm UV light, and de-dimerization occurs with 254 nm UV light, to provide a weaker gel. In this system, the mechanical strength of supramolecular hydrogels can be tuned using the irradiation time, providing precise control of gelation in a supramolecular hydrogelator.

Published in Gels

ISSN: 2310-2861 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Inorganic chemistry; Science: Chemistry: General. Including alchemy
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels

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