Supramolecular Hydrogels and High‐Aspect‐Ratio Nanofibers through Charge‐Transfer‐Induced Alternate Coassembly

Abstract

Gelling together: The alternate coassembly of a noncovalent donor–acceptor (D–A) amphiphilic pair in water results in very long nanofibers that form hydrogels (see scheme). Microscopic and single-crystal studies have provided an insight into the hierarchical self-assembly of the charge-transfer (CT) amphiphile, which consists of coronene and a viologen derivative, into cylindrical micelles and gels as the concentration of the D–A pair is increased.