Chemically Fueled Self-sorted Hydrogels

Abstract

Narcissistic self-sorting in supramolecular assemblies can help to construct materials with more complex hierarchies. Whereas controlled changes in pH or temperature have been used to this extent for two-component self-sorted gels, here we show that a chemically fueled approach can provide three-component materials with high precision. The latter materials have interesting mechanical properties, such as enhanced or suppressed stiffness, and intricate multi-step gelation kinetics. In addition, we show that we can achieve supramolecular templating, where pre-existing supramolecular fibers first act as a templates for growth of a second gelator, after which they can selectively be removed.