The development of an effective adsorbent for cleansing polluted water is required for environmental purification. In this respect, a supramolecular hydrogel constructed by the self-assembly of small molecules could be a strong candidate. Adsorption experiments of organic dyes were performed using supramolecular hydrogels of amphiphilic tris-urea 1. Cationic organic dyes were adsorbed efficiently; indeed, the adsorption of methylene blue was as high as 4.19 mol equivalents relative to 1. Two luminescence peaks were observed in the rhodamine 6G-adsorbed supramolecular hydrogels, and their ratios varied with the amount of dye adsorbed. Fluorescence microscopy images of the supramolecular hydrogel at lower dye levels exhibited fibrous fluorescence consistent with the fibrous aggregates of 1. According to these results, adsorption may proceed gradually, that is, occurring initially on the fibers and later in the aqueous spaces of the supramolecular hydrogel.
Keywords: adsorption; dyes and pigments; gels; self-assembly; urea.
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