Development of Supramolecular Gels using Calix[4]arene and its Mechanical Property

The development of soft materials, particularly viscoelastic systems like organogels and hydrogels, has found diverse applications in controlled release, soft tissue reconstruction, energy capture, storage, and sensing. These systems create stable networks through physical or chemical interactions, with physical gels offering reversible networks and self-healing properties. Recent efforts have improved the mechanical properties of polymeric hydrogels through various methods, but conventional supramolecular hydrogel systems still lack high tensile strength. Supramolecular gels, such as cyclodextrin-based hydrogels, exhibit relatively weak mechanical properties due to the non-covalent interactions forming their network structures. Attempts to strengthen them with multivalent interactions have had some success but still fall short of achieving high mechanical strength. Additionally, low-molecular-weight gelators face solubility challenges in water, particularly macrocyclic gelators, which are often hydrophobic. While some reports show functionalized calixarene-based hydrogels can be effective, there is a scarcity of studies on the mechanical properties of organogels and hydrogels made from self-assembled low-molecular-weight gelators, mainly because these materials are inherently weak.<br/>In this research, we developed the supramolecular gels using calix[4]arene and analyze its mechanical property.