Supramolecular hydrogels mediated by cucurbit[6]uril-modified Fe3O4 with self-healing, photothermal responsiveness and stretchability for flexible electronics

Abstract

The development of supramolecular hydrogels with multifunction is in high demand. In this work, Fe3O4 hybrid supramolecular hydrogels were fabricated via dynamic host–guest interactions between the host molecule CB[6] and guest units. The “supramolecular crosslinker” formed by CB[6]-modified Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@CB[6]) nanoparticles, was used to generate a 3D network of supramolecular hydrogels. Results indicate that the tensile stress of the sample is 0.31 MPa, and the self-healing efficiency of the supramolecular hydrogels at room temperature is nearly 100% (fracture strain) after 48 h. The hydrogels exhibited a self-healing property without a loss of conductivity. Furthermore, these supramolecular hydrogels were used to detect the bending of human fingers and knees. The hybrid supramolecular hydrogels with photothermal responsiveness, self-healing, injectability, stretchability, conductive ability and biocompatibility, can find applications in flexible electronics.