Smart supramolecular hydrogels based on PEI with pH and temperature responsive properties

Supramolecular chemistry has generated many self-assembled architectures through the elegant control of molecular interactions. Today, advanced supramolecular polymers, which form intermolecular non-covalent networks, are expected to be highly advantageous over traditional polymers because of their tunable and reversible behavior. In particular, supramolecular hydrogels are attractive materials because they can respond to a variety of stimuli, such as temperature or pH variations, which drive macro and microscopic changes of the molecular assembly. By taking advantage of these reversible properties, we show that supramolecular hydrogels obtained from polyethyleneimine (PEI) are able to entrap various biomolecules in large capacities, and afterwards they can release them without denaturation upon variations of temperature or pH.