Tuning the Handedness: Role of Chiral Component in Peptide-Appended Bolaamphiphile-Based Coassembled Hydrogels

Chirality is the intrinsic property of a molecule that can be tuned by the change in chirality of a molecule or by the addition of a chiral component as an external stimulus. An l-leucine-based dipeptide-appended succinic acid-based bolaamphiphile coassembled with d-tartaric acid to form supramolecular right-handed nanostructured hydrogel, whereas l-tartaric acid coassembled to form supramolecular left-handed nanostructured hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy experiments revealed the right- and left-handed helical nanofibers that are responsible for the formation of supramolecular nanostructured hydrogels. The synergistic chiral effect of l-leucine in peptide bolaamphiphile and d/l-tartaric acid plays a significant role in bicomponent gelation with helical nanofibers. The first two amino acids attached to both sides of succinic acid moiety act as a tuning button for supramolecular chirality of amino acids/peptides attached with succinic acid-based bolaamphiphiles. The second amino acid plays the role of modulating supramolecular chirality if the first two amino acids act neutrally to the chirality of bolaamphiphiles, which was confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Glucose-triggered dissolution of phenylboronic acid-functionalized cholesterol-based niosomal self-assembly for tuneable drug release

Cholesterol-containing phenylboronic acid-based niosomal self-assemblies showed glucose-responsive dissolution and release of an encapsulated drug.

Tailor-Made Self-Assemblies from Functionalized Amphiphiles: Diversity and Applications

The objective of this feature article is to coalesce our recent advancements on different expressions of tailor-made supramolecular self-assemblies and to explore them as a function of molecular architecture. In the last decade, we have developed a library of elegant and simple functional amphiphilic small molecules, which have very interesting abilities to form diverse manifestations of supramolecular self-assemblies such as micelles, reverse micelles, vesicles, fibers, supramolecular gels, and so on. Each of the expressions of the self-aggregated structures has its individual prominence and finds important applications in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, and others. In this feature article, the major emphasis is mostly on how to attain precise control over the development of various well-defined supramolecular self-assemblies through the judicious design of low-molecular-weight amphiphiles. By tuning only the functional moieties of the amphiphilic structure, diverse supramolecular architectures can be constructed with task-specific applications. We expect that this article will provide a general and conceptual demonstration of various approaches to the development of different functional supramolecular systems and their prospective applications in numerous domains.