Ghosh, D. orcid.org/0000-0002-1165-2819, Huang, R. orcid.org/0000-0001-6604-4987, Mahmoudi, N. orcid.org/0000-0003-4936-6911 et al. (5 more authors) (2025) Probing the structure and mechanics of intertwined homo- and hetero-supramolecular gel noodles. Molecular Systems Design & Engineering. ISSN: 2058-9689
Abstract
Shaping supramolecular hydrogels formed using low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) into architecturally complex and multifunctional materials is a significant challenge. Here, we introduce a strategy to mechanically twist multiple 1D supramolecular gel filaments (gel noodles) into robust, multifunctional, and stimuli-responsive structures. Twisting introduced mechanical interlocking, which in two identical filaments yielded marginal improvement in tensile performance, while compositionally distinct gel noodles exhibited up to ∼25% increase in strength due to effective load redistribution and frictional contact. However, twisting three or more filaments reduced mechanical strength, likely due to high internal strain and the formation of misaligned bundles, an effect consistent with stochastic failure propagation in twisted fibre assemblies. These results highlight the dual nature of intertwining multiple noodles: it can reinforce or compromise mechanical robustness depending on geometry and filament interactions. Despite this, twisting chemically distinct noodles enabled the formation of robust structures with spatially separated functionalities, such as photoresponsiveness, while maintaining structural integrity. This modular strategy offers a tunable platform for engineering hierarchical materials with potential for future application-specific studies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering |
Date Deposited: | 29 Sep 2025 13:24 |
Last Modified: | 29 Sep 2025 13:24 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1039/d5me00105f |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:232320 |