Multifunctional supramolecular eutectogels for self-healable conductive materials and interface lubrication

Abstract

Supramolecular eutectogels formed by self-assembly of low molecular weight gelators in deep eutectic solvents provides a new prospect for the development of soft ionic materials. In this study, we had developed a series of D-glucose acetal gelators (DAn), which showed excellent gelation ability in DESs based on choline chloride (ChCl) and polyols or urea. Rheology showed that the structure of the gelators and the type of DESs have significant effects on the mechanical strength and thixotropy of the gels. Remarkably, the eutectogel formed by DA10 in ChCl/Glycerol showed high transparency, self-healing, load-bearing, and injectability. The results obtained from scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction suggested that DA10 adopted hexagonal stacking to form a fibrous morphology in ChCl/ monoethylene and ChCl/ Glycerol, while sheet-like structure was formed by lamellar packing of DA10 in ChCl/Urea. Moreover, the high ionic conductivity coupled with self-healing property of eutectogel make it a potential smart conductive material. The eutectogels exhibited remarkable lubricating properties on steel interface due to their excellent self-healing, creep recovery, and corrosion resistance properties. Overall, this research on the structure–function relationship of supramolecular eutectogels and their applications in conductive materials and interfacial lubrication have great guiding significance for the development of versatile supramolecular eutectogels in the future.