Writable and Self-Erasable Hydrogel Based on Dissipative Assembly Process from Multiple Carboxyl Tetraphenylethylene Derivative

A dissipative assembly process is an out-of-equilibrium dynamic process driven by chemical fuels. Such processes play very important roles in different types of biochemical process in nature. Herein, a dissipative hydrogel system based on the multiple-carboxyl tetraphenylethylene MCTPE 1 and 1-ethyl-3-(3-(dimethylamino)­propyl)­carbodiimide (EDC) was constructed successfully. In the hydrogel system, an aqueous solution of MCTPE 1 could be converted into the hydrogel rapidly using EDC as the chemical fuel. After that, the obtained hydrogel began to dissolve back to the solution state slowly. On the basis of this chemical-fuel-driven dissipative system, a writable in aqueous solution and self-erasable hydrogel material was achieved.