Photoresponsive Coumarin-Based Supramolecular Hydrogel for Controllable Dye Release

摘要

Recently, photoresponsive hydrogels have attracted increasing interest due to their ability to provide precise spatial and temporal control of drug release. Herein, a new kind of coumarin-based photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogelator without conventional gelation motif is designed and synthesized through a facile one-pot method. The gelation process, photoresponsiveness, self-assembly morphology, self-assembly mechanism, and release kinetics are fully investigated by various characterization methods (e.g., scanning electron microscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, high pressure liquid chromatography, UV-vis spectroscopy). Furthermore, encapsulated methyl violet dye molecules can be precisely released from the hydrogel by manipulating photoirradiation time. The study reveals that the coumarin-based photoresponsive hydrogel holds great potential as soft materials for controllable drug release.