Non-covalent interactions in action: Advancing eutectogels for enhanced stability and performance

Gels stand out as favored soft matter materials across diverse industries, spanning from food processing to biomedicine. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) emerge as environmentally friendly liquids, blending low-melting-point combinations with customizable chemical properties, thereby presenting safer alternatives to hazardous organic reagents. Crafted using DESs as solvents, eutectogels showcase superior mechanical qualities, an expanded electrochemical operating range, and a vast array of potential applications. Despite the remarkable enhancement of functional attributes facilitated by numerous non-covalent interactions through intermolecular forces and increased physical cross-linking within the three-dimensional networks of eutectogels, a critical gap persists in understanding the microscopic mechanisms that underlie non-covalent interaction-property correlations within them. To bridge this gap, this review categorizes and summarizes recent scientific investigations that explore non-covalent interactions within eutectogels, with the aim of highlighting the collaborative design and control of these interactions. We aspire for this review to ignite innovative design concepts and facilitate the development of revolutionary high-performance eutectogel materials. Eutectogels, formulated with DES as the solvent system, exhibit exceptional mechanical strength, an extended electrochemical operational range, and versatile application possibilities. This review systematically categorizes recent research efforts on eutectogels based on the non-covalent interactions present within them, aiming to enhance the understanding of how these interactions shape gel properties. Leveraging these insights promises to unlock the substantial benefits of eutectogels, driving advancements in both scientific understanding and industrial applications. [Display omitted]