Morphology-tuning by changing the composition of a binary hydrogel comprising thymidine and melamine

We report on the self-assembly of a new two-component hydrogel of thymidine (T) and melamine (M) which formed supramolecular complex (≥ 0.1%, w/v) based on intermolecular hydrogen-bonding. The 3D morphologies were tuned by changing the molar ratio of T and M in aqueous medium from 3/1 to 1/3. The xerogels respectively showed rod, sheet and flower structures as observed under SEM. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXD) patterns confirmed that thymidine and melamine form supramolecular complexes through intermolecular hydrogen-bonding. The different structures of the complexes are proposed for the different compositions of the components.