State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China.
Small Methods. 2024 Apr;8(4):e2300753. doi: 10.1002/smtd.202300753. Epub 2023 Aug 20.
Nature offers a wealth of opportunities to solve scientific and technological issues based on its unique structures and function. The dynamic non-covalent interaction is considered to be the main base of living functions of creatures including humans, animals, and plants. Supramolecular hydrogels formed by non-covalent bonding interactions has become a unique platform for constructing promising materials for medicine, energy, electronic, and biological substitute. In this review, the self-assemble principle of supramolecular hydrogels is summarized. Next, the stimulation of external environment that triggers the assembly or disassembly of supramolecular hydrogels are recapitulated, including temperature, mechanics, light, pH, ions, etc. The main applications of bioinspired supramolecular hydrogels in terms of bionic objects including humans, animals, and plants are also described. Although so many efforts are done for revealing the synergized mechanism of the function and non-covalent interactions on the supramolecular hydrogel, the complexity and variability between stimulus and non-covalent bonding in the supramolecular system still require impeccable theories. As an outlook, the bioinspired supramolecular hydrogel is just beginning to exhibit its great potential in human life, offering significant opportunities in drug delivery and screening, implantable devices and substitutions, tissue engineering, micro-fluidic devices, and biosensors.
自然界为解决科学技术问题提供了丰富的机会，这些问题基于其独特的结构和功能。动态非共价相互作用被认为是包括人类、动物和植物在内的生物的生命功能的主要基础。通过非共价键相互作用形成的超分子水凝胶已成为构建用于医学、能源、电子和生物替代物的有前途的材料的独特平台。在这篇综述中，总结了超分子水凝胶的自组装原理。接下来，回顾了触发超分子水凝胶组装或解组装的外部环境刺激，包括温度、力学、光、pH 值、离子等。还描述了仿生超分子水凝胶在仿生物体（包括人类、动物和植物）中的主要应用。尽管为揭示超分子水凝胶上功能和非共价相互作用的协同机制做出了如此多的努力，但在超分子系统中刺激与非共价键之间的复杂性和可变性仍需要完善的理论。展望未来，仿生超分子水凝胶才刚刚开始在人类生活中展现出巨大的潜力，在药物输送和筛选、可植入装置和替代品、组织工程、微流控装置和生物传感器方面提供了重要的机会。
