Issue 15, 2024

Nanofibrous chiral supramolecular assembly-derived self-healing hydrogels with polyethylene glycol

Abstract

Unique polymer hydrogels with unusual cross-linking networks and self-healing properties have been recently reported. In this study, we fabricated hybrid hydrogels consisting of a chiral supramolecular one-dimensional assembly of glutamide-derived lipids bearing pyridinium head groups (G-Py+) cross-linked with termini-anionised hydrophilic polyethylene glycol polymers (S-PEGn-S). The cationic group-linked G-Py+ forms nanotubular aggregates in water. G-Py+/S-PEGn-S aqueous mixtures formed hydrogels at certain concentrations and ambient temperatures. The terminal anionic sulfate groups play a key role in hydrogel formation, as evidenced by the absence of gelation in G-Py+/PEGn. The negative circular dichroism signal observed for pyridinium exhibited a blue shift upon the addition of S-PEGn-S but maintained its signal intensity even with excess S-PEGn-S, suggesting the chiral orientation of the nanofibrous G-Py+ self-assembly preserved even complexation with S-PEGn-S in hydrogel. The hybrid hydrogel of sulfated polyethylene glycol with nanofibrous chiral supramolecular assembly exhibited self-healing property at a temperature below the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition (TC) of G-Py+ aggregates, which was evidenced by the inversion fluid method and viscoelastic measurements.

Graphical abstract: Nanofibrous chiral supramolecular assembly-derived self-healing hydrogels with polyethylene glycol

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 apr 2024
Accepted
07 iyn 2024
First published
10 iyn 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2024,6, 3850-3856

Nanofibrous chiral supramolecular assembly-derived self-healing hydrogels with polyethylene glycol

M. Takafuji, K. Kawamoto, N. Hano, M. Otsuki and H. Ihara, Nanoscale Adv., 2024, 6, 3850 DOI: 10.1039/D4NA00353E

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