CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Organic Materials 2021; 03(01): 025-040
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1722263
Review

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

a   Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 20, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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a   Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 20, 14195 Berlin, Germany
› Author Affiliations


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.



Publication History

Received: 31 October 2020

Accepted: 04 December 2020

Article published online:
18 January 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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