A "self-shrinking" supramolecular hydrogel with a 3D shape memory performance from an unnatural amino acid derivative.

A supramolecular hydrogel with 3D self-shrinking, without any assistance, and a shape memory performance at room temperature is discovered from an unnatural amino acid derivative, i.e. fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-L-ß-phenylalanine, as a minimalistic model. The self-shrinking properties of this hydrogel can be explored for potential applications.