Non-ionic polar small molecules induced transition from elastic hydrogel via viscoelastic wormlike micelles to spherical micelles in zwitterionic surfactant systems

•A C18-tailed zwitterionic surfactant supramolecular hydrogel is constructed with OHSB and NaSal.•The non-ionic polar small molecules, TPA1, could control the microstructure and viscoelasticity of zwitterionic hydrogel.•Rheological measurement shows transition from Elastic Hydrogel via Viscoelastic Wormlike Micelles to Spherical micelles.•The microstructure of the system was analyzed by cryo-TEM and cryo-SEM.•The construction and transition mechanism were proposed, stating the detailed controlling process clearly. Supramolecular assembly determines the formation and transformation of soft materials. So far, the construction and transformation of conventional (