Designing and Controlling Transient Supramolecular Gels

Supramolecular systems are often designed such that a steady state exists. However, the ability to design systems with pre-determined changes in state can lead to highly dynamic materials, with evolving supramolecular structures and adaptable material properties. This approach is of great interest from the perspective of designing adaptive systems as well as from a broader systems chemistry perspective. Here, we report how a transient system can be altered to access different mechanical properties and transitions by varying the trigger and temperature. The aging of these systems is also explored, as the networks continually evolve long past the common cut-off point of analysis of one day. We therefore provide new insights into the control of transient gels, as well as an understanding as to the underpinning supramolecular structures and how they evolve with time.