Click-Gelable and Self-Healing Organogels Based on Inorganic Sub-Nanowires

The fabrication of self-healing gels typically relies on dynamic covalent bonds, which prove particularly challenging in organic systems. Inorganic subnanowires (SNWs) exhibit excellent structural flexibility and enhanced interactions beyond molecular levels, enabling click-gelation and self-healing of organogels different from polymers and biomaterials. In this study, we synthesize Na-PMo₁₂ SNWs bridged by Na⁺ and polyoxometalate clusters, which can lock various organic solvents into transparent organogels within 5 s. These organogels exhibit remarkable self-healing capabilities, with visually complete morphological recovery within 20 min even after mechanical disruption. The framework formed by the linkage of Na⁺ and clusters significantly augments the flexibility of SNWs, and the dense surface ligands of SNWs bring enhanced interactions and entanglements, facilitating the click gelation and self-healing of organogels. The shear-thinning property of the organogel enables its facile injection, making it a promising candidate for applications, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for liver cancer and injectable drug delivery systems.