Hybrid Hydrogels Assembled from Phenylalanine Derivatives and Agarose with Enhanced Mechanical Strength

A roadblock for supramolecular hydrogels is their poor mechanical properties. Herein, to enhance the mechanical strength of supramolecular hydrogels, agarose(AG) was incorporated into the low molecular weight hydrogelator(G1). The results of scanning electron microscopy(SEM), circular dichroism(CD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) prove that G1 gelators can self-assemble into cross-linked network together with AG. The mechanical properties of the gels are characterized by a rotary rheometer and the mechanical properties of the hybrid hydrogels(Hgel) can be significantly improved and may be further tuned by changing the ratio of the two components. For example, the elastic modulus of Hgel Ⅱm(G1):m(AG)=7:3] is about 2 times higher than that of G1 hydrogel. The results demonstrate that the mechanical property of hybrid supramolecular hydrogels can be adjusted through the formation of a cross-linked network.