Characterization of supramolecular gels

Supramolecular gels are a fascinating class of soft materials. Their gelators can self-assemble into nano- or micro-scale superstructures, such as fibers, ribbons, sheets and spheres in an appropriate solvent, thereby resulting in the formation of 3D networks. The dynamic and reversible nature of the non-covalent interactions that contribute to the formation of these network structures together gives these supramolecular gels the inherent ability to respond to external stimuli. However, the dynamic nature of supramolecular gels, which endows them with unique properties, makes their characterization diversified at the same time. Therefore, we present here a review summarizing various methods for characterizing…