Supramolecular gelation controlled by an iodine clock

Abstract

Programming supramolecular assembly in the time domain is a fundamental aspect of the design of biomimetic materials. We achieved the time-controlled sol–gel transition of a poly(vinyl alcohol)–iodine supramolecular complex by generating iodine in situ with a clock reaction. We demonstrate that both the gelation time and the mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogel can be tuned by properly selecting the clock parameters or through competitive iodine complexation.