Advance in Supramolecular Gels

Dear Colleagues,

Supramolecular gels, which are generally formed by the self-assembly of small molecules through various non-covalent interactions, are currently an important class of soft materials attracting considerable interest in the field of sensing, catalysis, cell culturing, drug delivery, tissue engineering, environmental remediation, and optoelectronics. Due to the dynamic nature of non-covalent bonds, supramolecular gels show inherent dynamic and reversibility, differing from covalently cross-linked polymer gels which are usually static without additional tunability. Inspired by nature, the development of supramolecular gels has evolved into a much broader discipline, which makes it possible for gel materials to have more interesting and emergent functions. For instance, the interests in the field of supramolecular gels have been shifting from traditional thermodynamic control to non-equilibrium self-assembly, and from single-component systems to more complex multicomponent systems. As a result, a more elaborate structural and functional diversity of supramolecular gel systems has been created.

On the basis of the great progress in the field of supramolecular gels in recent years, we organize this Special Issue on “Advance in Supramolecular Gels” with the aim to summarize the recent achievements in the design of gelators, the investigation of self-assembly mechanisms, self-assembly control, and the functionalization and potential applications of supramolecular gels, among other relevant topics. We look forward to the submission of new results and reviews associated with supramolecular gels from experimental and theoretical perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Yiming Wang
Dr. Yutao Sang
Guest Editors

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