An
effective strategy was employed for the rapid development of
a supramolecular metallohydrogel of Mg(II) ion (i.e., Mg@PEHA) using
pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) as a low-molecular-weight gelator in
aqueous medium under ambient conditions. The mechanical stability
of the synthesized Mg@PEHA metallohydrogel was characterized by using
rheological analysis, which showed its robustness across different
angular frequencies and oscillator stress levels. The metallohydrogel
exhibited excellent thixotropic behavior, which signifies that Mg@PEHA
has a self-healing nature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy
and transmission electron microscopy images were utilized to explore
the rectangular pebble-like hierarchical network of the Mg@PEHA metallohydrogel.
Elemental mapping through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis
confirmed the presence of primary chemical constituents in the metallohydrogel.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectroscopy provided insights
into the possible formation strategy of the metallohydrogel. In this
work, Schottky diode structures in a metal–semiconductor–metal
geometry based on a magnesium(II) metallohydrogel (Mg@PEHA) were constructed,
and the charge transport behavior was observed. Additionally, a resistive
random access memory (RRAM) device was developed using Mg@PEHA, which
displayed bipolar resistive switching behavior at room temperature.
The researchers investigated the switching mechanism, which involved
the formation or rupture of conduction filaments, to gain insights
into the resistive switching process. The RRAM device demonstrated
excellent performance with a high ON/OFF ratio of approximately 100
and remarkable endurance of over 5000 switching cycles. RRAM devices
exhibit good endurance, meaning they can endure a large number of
read and write cycles without significant degradation in performance.
RRAM devices have shown promising reliability in terms of long-term
performance and stability, making them suitable for critical applications
that require reliable memory solutions. Significant inhibitory activity
against the drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia strain and its biofilm formation ability was demonstrated by Mg@PEHA.
The minimum inhibitory concentration value of the metallohydrogel
was determined to be 3 mg/mL when it was dissolved in 1% DMSO. To
study the antibiofilm activity, an MTT assay was performed, revealing
that biofilm inhibition (60%) commenced at 1 mg/mL of Mg@PEHA when
dissolved in 1% DMSO. Moreover, in the mouse excisional wound model,
Mg@PEHA played a crucial role in preventing postoperative wound infections
and promoting wound healing.