Photoresponsive Coumarin-Based Supramolecular Hydrogel for Controllable Dye Release

Recently, photoresponsive hydrogels have attracted increasing interest due to their ability to provide precise spatial and temporal control of drug release. Herein, a new kind of coumarin-based photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogelator without conventional gelation motif is designed and synthesized through a facile one-pot method. The gelation process, photoresponsiveness, self-assembly morphology, self-assembly mechanism, and release kinetics are fully investigated by various characterization methods (e.g., scanning electron microscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, high pressure liquid chromatography, UV–vis spectroscopy). Furthermore, encapsulated methyl violet dye molecules can be precisely released from the hydrogel by manipulating photoirradiation time. The study reveals that the coumarin-based photoresponsive hydrogel holds great potential as soft materials for controllable drug release.