Hierarchically Compartmentalized Supramolecular Gels through Multilevel Self-Sorting
Yiming Wang (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Matija Lovrak (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Qian Liu (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Chandan Maity (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Vincent A.A. le Sage (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Xuhong Guo (East China University of Science and Technology, Shihezi University)
Rienk Eelkema (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Jan H. van Esch (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
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Abstract
Hierarchical compartmentalization through the bottom-up approach is ubiquitous in living cells but remains a formidable task in synthetic systems. Here we report on hierarchically compartmentalized supramolecular gels that are spontaneously formed by multilevel self-sorting. Two types of molecular gelators are formed in situ from nonassembling building blocks and self-assemble into distinct gel fibers through a kinetic self-sorting process; interestingly, these distinct fibers further self-sort into separated microdomains, leading to microscale compartmentalized gel networks. Such spontaneously multilevel self-sorting systems provide a "bottom-up" approach toward hierarchically structured functional materials and may play a role in intracellular organization.
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