Incorporation of graphene oxide into cyclodextrin-dye supramolecular hydrogel

In this article, we report a cyclodextrin-templated, but polymer-free, supramolecular hydrogel incorporating Graphene oxide (GO), which, unlikely of other supramolecular assemblies, reveals a highly elastic behavior at an elevated temperature. The obtained supramolecular gel provides a uniform dispersion with high GO loading and long dispersion stability. Rheological experiments, in comparison to other supramolecular gels, reveal highly elastic characteristics of the hydrogel, exhibiting an increase in the storage modulus at around 35 °C and sturdy stability at an elevated temperature up to 50 °C. An investigation using a variety of analytical and characterization techniques demonstrates the effect of lithium ions on fine dispersion and complete reduction of GO inside gel matrix. The current finding is meaningful in the sense that the supramolecular gelation can be expanded to other nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes and quantum dots. All of these features will make our supramolecular hydrogel useful in various applications, including biomedical release systems. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.