Elasticity-dependent Macroscopic Supramolecular Assembly And Its Application In Underwater Adhesion

Macroscopic supramolecular assembly(MSA)is a recent progress in supramolecular chemistry,its research object is macroscopic building blocks above 10 micrometers with a large number of supramolecular recognition groups on the surface,and the process of collision,identification and assembly based on multivalent interactions.MSA not only developed as a unique methodology to fabricate bulk supramolecular materials,but also provides an ideal research model for the process of interface-interface interactions such as rapid underwater adhesion and endogenous self-healing.However,most researches on MSA focus on the description of the assembly phenomenon,the interpretation of the assembly mechanism and the design principles for constructing the building blocks have not been thoroughly studied,and it is difficult to answer the basic question of what kind of building blocks can realize macroscopic supramolecular assembly.Currently,most reports on MSA attained the aforementioned multivalent effects by either using highly flowable hydrogel systems or applying a flexible spacing coating to rigid materials.Both strategies reveal the intrinsic material property of deformation ability,therefore,this paper focuses on the basic question of"what kind of building blocks can realize macroscopic supramolecular assembly",and studies the MSA behaviors of different elastic modulus building blocks,through both qualitative statistical analyses and quantified in situ force measurement,we obtained a basic rule of macroscopic supramolecular assembly regarding elastic modulus of building blocks,which could applied to explain the mechanism of fast underwater adhesion and the design of adhesive materials.The main research results are as follows:1.A hydrogel model system with different elastic modulus was designed and prepared,and the trend of negative correlation between macroscopic assembly probability and modulus was preliminarily obtained.2.The trend of negative correlation between macroscopic assembly probability and modulus is validated by two kinds of model systems,we have established a general design rule of macroscopic building blocks.3.A new method for fast underwater adhesion measurement is designed and developed,and the application of the elasticity-dependent MSA rules for rapid underwater adhesion was explored.