Toward a versatile toolbox for cucurbit[n]uril-based supramolecular hydrogel networks through in situ polymerization

• Published in: Journal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry
• Main Author: Liu J.; Soo Yun Tan C.; Lan Y.; Scherman O.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85021272524&doi=10.1002%2fpola.28667&partnerID=40&md5=01607f10fa07941233536950fe330f10

The success of exploiting cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n])-based molecular recognition in self-assembled systems has sparked a tremendous interest in polymer and materials chemistry. In this study, polymerization in the presence of host-guest complexes is applied as a modular synthetic approach toward a diverse set of CB[8]-based supramolecular hydrogels with desirable properties, such as mechanical strength, toughness, energy dissipation, self-healing, and shear-thinning. A range of vinyl monomers, including acrylamide-, acrylate-, and imidazolium-based hydrophilic monomers, could be easily incorporated as the polymer backbones, leading to a library of CB[8] hydrogel networks. This versatile strategy explores new horizons for the construction of supramolecular hydrogel networks and materials with emergent properties in wearable and self-healable electronic devices, sensors, and structural biomaterials. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 3105–3109. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.