title: Binary Crystallized Supramolecular Aerogels Derived from Host-Guest Inclusion Complexes.
abstract: Aerogels with low density and high porosity show outstanding properties such as large surface area and low thermal and acoustic conductivity. However, great challenges remain to convert hydrophilic polymer based hydrogels to corresponding aerogels. Here, we report a structurally new type of aerogels, supramolecular aerogels (SMAs), derived from supramolecular hydrogels formed by self-assembling of poly(ethylene glycol) and α-/γ-cyclodextrin. The SMAs posses a characteristic binary crystallized nanosheet structure due to their supramolecular cross-linking nature, and their specific surface areas and nanosheet structures are tunable. Furthermore, we demonstrated application of the aerogels as solid-solid phase change materials with tunable latent heat, reversible melting-crystallization cycle while keeping the microstructure of the SMAs unchanged.
authors.affiliation: Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech & Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech & Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.|School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xuetong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: aerogel; host−guest inclusion complexes; phase change materials; supramolecular hydrogel