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Kodama K, Obata M, Hirose T. Enantioseparation via Chiral Supramolecular Gels Comprising Ambidextrous Gelators Based on β-Peptide-type Primary Amines. Chempluschem 2024:e202400021. [PMID: 38445837 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202400021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
While β-peptides have been paid attention due to their diverse secondary structures, their application to the design of low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) is less explored. In this work, chiral cyclic β-amino acid-based β-peptides were developed as ambidextrous LMWGs, wherein multiple hydrogen bonds between the amide moieties led to high gelation ability. Their molecular assembly was elucidated using spectroscopies, microscopy, and X-ray analysis. Further, the supramolecular gel was used as a platform for the enantioselective extraction of (S)-naproxen from its racemate under optimized conditions. These findings have expanded the utility of β-peptides and shown the potential of supramolecular gels as a distinct dynamic medium for enantiomer separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Kodama
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Masato Obata
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Takuji Hirose
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
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2
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Smith DK. Supramolecular gels - a panorama of low-molecular-weight gelators from ancient origins to next-generation technologies. SOFT MATTER 2023; 20:10-70. [PMID: 38073497 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01301d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular gels, self-assembled from low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs), have a long history and a bright future. This review provides an overview of these materials, from their use in lubrication and personal care in the ancient world, through to next-generation technologies. In academic terms, colloid scientists in the 19th and early 20th centuries first understood such gels as being physically assembled as a result of weak interactions, combining a solid-like network having a degree of crystalline order with a highly mobile liquid-like phase. During the 20th century, industrial scientists began using these materials in new applications in the polymer, oil and food industries. The advent of supramolecular chemistry in the late 20th century, with its focus on non-covalent interactions and controlled self-assembly, saw the horizons for these materials shifted significantly beyond their historic rheological applications, expanding their potential. The ability to tune the LMWG chemical structure, manipulate hierarchical assembly, develop multi-component systems, and introduce new types of responsive and interactive behaviour, has been transformative. Furthermore, the dynamics of these materials are increasingly understood, creating metastable gels and transiently-fueled systems. New approaches to shaping and patterning gels are providing a unique opportunity for more sophisticated uses. These supramolecular advances are increasingly underpinning and informing next-generation applications - from drug delivery and regenerative medicine to environmental remediation and sustainable energy. In summary, this article presents a panorama over the field of supramolecular gels, emphasising how both academic and industrial scientists are building on the past, and engaging new fundamental insights and innovative concepts to open up exciting horizons for their future use.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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3
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Kodama K, Obata M, Sugimura S, Yuhara H, Hirose T. Development of Low-Molecular-Weight Organogelators from Cyclic β-Amino Acid: Effect of Stereochemistry and their Application on Visual Chiral Recognition of Amines. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202202692. [PMID: 36461621 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202202692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
This study reports the formation of low-molecular-weight gelators based on carboxylic acids derived from chiral cyclicβ-amino acids. The effect of their stereochemistry on the gelation of organic solvents was investigated, and their assemblies with the intermolecular interactions in the xerogels were proposed via infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and crystallographic details of the related model compounds. The effect of the alkyl chain length on the gelators was studied, and they were applied to the chiral recognition of amines. Only one diastereomeric salt with amines afforded gels, whereas the others resulted in precipitates. Chiral recognition was also achieved in the gel state, and the appearance of the as-prepared gel changed upon the addition of each amine enantiomer, thus enabling the visual detection of their chirality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Kodama
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Masato Obata
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Sho Sugimura
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Hiroki Yuhara
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Takuji Hirose
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
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4
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Nayak K, Sahoo S, De P. Chirality and solvent assisted gelation modulation with stearoyl appended macromolecules. Eur Polym J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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5
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Patterson AK, El-Qarra LH, Smith DK. Chirality-directed hydrogel assembly and interactions with enantiomers of an active pharmaceutical ingredient. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:3941-3944. [PMID: 35244630 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc06942j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Enantiomers of the low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) DBS-CONHNH2, based on D- or L- 1,3 : 2,4-dibenzylidenesorbitol (DBS), were synthesised. Enantiomeric gels are equivalent, but when mixtures of enantiomers are used, although gels still form, they are weaker than homochiral gels. Nanoscale chirality is lost on adding even a small proportion of the opposite enantiomer - homochiral assembly underpins effective gelation. Enantiomeric gels encapsulate the two enantiomers of anti-inflammatory drug naproxen, with thermal & mechanical differences between diastereomeric systems. We hence demonstrate the importance of chirality in DBS assembly and its interactions with chiral additives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Patterson
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Lamisse H El-Qarra
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - David K Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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Omar J, Ponsford D, Dreiss CA, Lee TC, Loh XJ. Supramolecular Hydrogels: Design Strategies and Contemporary Biomedical Applications. Chem Asian J 2022; 17:e202200081. [PMID: 35304978 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202200081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Self-assembly of supramolecular hydrogels is driven by dynamic, non-covalent interactions between molecules. Considerable research effort has been exerted to fabricate and optimise supramolecular hydrogels that display shear-thinning, self-healing, and reversibility, in order to develop materials for biomedical applications. This review provides a detailed overview of the chemistry behind the dynamic physicochemical interactions that sustain hydrogel formation (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, ionic interactions, metal-ligand coordination, and host-guest interactions). Novel design strategies and methodologies to create supramolecular hydrogels are highlighted, which offer promise for a wide range of applications, specifically drug delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting. To conclude, future prospects are briefly discussed, and consideration given to the steps required to ultimately bring these biomaterials into clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Omar
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK.,Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Daniel Ponsford
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.,Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.,Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Cécile A Dreiss
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK
| | - Tung-Chun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.,Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Xian Jun Loh
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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7
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Nasr P, Leung H, Auzanneau FI, Rogers MA. Supramolecular Fractal Growth of Self-Assembled Fibrillar Networks. Gels 2021; 7:gels7020046. [PMID: 33919860 PMCID: PMC8167784 DOI: 10.3390/gels7020046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex morphologies, as is the case in self-assembled fibrillar networks (SAFiNs) of 1,3:2,4-Dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS), are often characterized by their Fractal dimension and not Euclidean. Self-similarity presents for DBS-polyethylene glycol (PEG) SAFiNs in the Cayley Tree branching pattern, similar box-counting fractal dimensions across length scales, and fractals derived from the Avrami model. Irrespective of the crystallization temperature, fractal values corresponded to limited diffusion aggregation and not ballistic particle–cluster aggregation. Additionally, the fractal dimension of the SAFiN was affected more by changes in solvent viscosity (e.g., PEG200 compared to PEG600) than crystallization temperature. Most surprising was the evidence of Cayley branching not only for the radial fibers within the spherulitic but also on the fiber surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedram Nasr
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (P.N.); (H.L.)
| | - Hannah Leung
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (P.N.); (H.L.)
| | | | - Michael A. Rogers
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada; (P.N.); (H.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +11-519-824-4120 (ext. 54327)
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8
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Design, synthesis, and application of a new series of organogelator using crystal engineering approach and solvent parameter study: A synergetic approach. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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9
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Lan Y, Lv M, Guo S, Nasr P, Ladizhansky V, Vaz R, Corradini MG, Hou T, Ghazani SM, Marnangoni A, Rogers MA. Molecular motifs encoding self-assembly of peptide fibers into molecular gels. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:9205-9214. [PMID: 31710326 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01793c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Peptides are a promising class of gelators, due to their structural simplicity, biocompatibility and versatility. Peptides were synthesized based on four amino acids: leucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. These peptide gelators, with systematic structural variances in side chain structure and chain length, were investigated using Hansen solubility parameters to clarify molecular features that promote gelation in a wide array of solvents. It is of utmost importance to combine both changes to structural motifs and solvent in simultaneous studies to obtain a global perspective of molecular gelation. It was found that cyclization of symmetric dipeptides, into 2,5-diketopiperazines, drastically altered the gelation ability of the dipeptides. C-l-LL and C-l-YY, which are among the smallest peptide LMOGs reported to date, are robust gelators with a large radius of gelation (13.44 MPa1/2 and 13.90 MPa1/2, respectively), and even outperformed l-FF (5.61 MPa1/2). Interestingly, both linear dipeptides (l-FF and l-LL) gelled similar solvents, yet when cyclized only cyclo-dityrosine was a robust gelator, while cyclo-diphenylalanine was not. Changes in the side chains drastically affected the crystal morphology of the resultant gels. Symmetric cyclo dipeptides of leucine and tyrosine were capable of forming extremely high aspect ratio fibers in numerous solvents, which represent new molecular motifs capable of driving self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqi Lan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Muwen Lv
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Shenglan Guo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Pedram Nasr
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | | | - Raoul Vaz
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Maria G Corradini
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. and Arrell Food Institute, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Tao Hou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Saeed M Ghazani
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Alejandro Marnangoni
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Michael A Rogers
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
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10
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McAulay K, Dietrich B, Su H, Scott MT, Rogers S, Al-Hilaly YK, Cui H, Serpell LC, Seddon AM, Draper ER, Adams DJ. Using chirality to influence supramolecular gelation. Chem Sci 2019; 10:7801-7806. [PMID: 31588329 PMCID: PMC6761870 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc02239b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Most low molecular weight gelators are chiral, with racemic mixtures often unable to form gels. Here, we show an example where all enantiomers, diastereomers and racemates of a single functionalized dipeptide can form gels. At high pH, different self-assembled aggregates are formed and these directly template the structures formed in the gel. Hence, solutions and gels with different properties can be accessed simply by varying the chirality. This opens up new design rules for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate McAulay
- School of Chemistry , University of Glasgow , Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK .
| | - Bart Dietrich
- School of Chemistry , University of Glasgow , Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK .
| | - Hao Su
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , Whiting School of Engineering , Johns Hopkins University , 3400 North Charles Street , Baltimore , MD 21218 , USA
| | - Michael T Scott
- School of Chemistry , University of Glasgow , Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK .
| | - Sarah Rogers
- ISIS Pulsed Neutron Source , Rutherford Appleton Laboratory , Didcot , OX11 0QX , UK
| | - Youssra K Al-Hilaly
- School of Life Sciences , University of Sussex , Falmer , UK
- Chemistry Department , College of Science , Mustansiriyah University , Baghdad , Iraq
| | - Honggang Cui
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , Whiting School of Engineering , Johns Hopkins University , 3400 North Charles Street , Baltimore , MD 21218 , USA
| | | | - Annela M Seddon
- School of Physics , HH Wills Physics Laboratory , University of Bristol , Tyndall Avenue , Bristol , BS8 1TL , UK
- Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials , HH Wills Physics Laboratory , University of Bristol , Tyndall Avenue , Bristol , BS8 1TL , UK
| | - Emily R Draper
- School of Chemistry , University of Glasgow , Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK .
| | - Dave J Adams
- School of Chemistry , University of Glasgow , Glasgow , G12 8QQ , UK .
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11
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Fan H, Jiang H, Zhu X, Zhu M, Zhang L, Liu M. Homo- and heterochirality regulated blue and red phase polymerization of diacetylene with enantiomeric and racemic gelators. Eur Polym J 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2019.05.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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12
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Liu C, Yang D, Zhang L, Liu M. Water inversed helicity of nanostructures from ionic self-assembly of a chiral gelator and an achiral component. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:6557-6563. [PMID: 31359009 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01176e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ionic self-assemblies (ISAs) formed by a cationic chiral organogelator (l-glutamide amphiphile, abbreviated as PULG) and anionic dyes exhibited helical nanostructures. And the formed helical structures can be tuned by water amount in the ethanol/water solvent. In pure ethanol, the chirality of the gelator was successfully transferred to the achiral components, which was confirmed by the appearance of an induced CD signal in the achiral components. Meanwhile, the electrostatic interaction between the gelator and achiral dyes contributed to the chirality amplification, causing the nanofibrous structures of the gelator to be transformed to uniform left-handed helices. Upon adding water to ethanol, the induced CD signal exhibited inversion from positive to negative. Interestingly, the left-handed helices formed by ISA of PULG/anionic dyes in ethanol were inverted to right-handed helices with the addition of water. Based on detailed investigations of the XRD patterns, CD and UV/Vis spectra, the mechanism of helicity inversion was proposed: left-handed helices were dominated by hydrogen bonding and right-handed helices were dominated by π-π stacking. This work exemplifies a feasible method to invert the helicity of chiral nanostructures in co-assembly and gives an insight into the conformation change of biomacromolecules in a biological system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changxia Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou, 061001, P. R. China
| | - Dong Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
| | - Li Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
| | - Minghua Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
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13
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Tómasson DA, Ghosh D, Kržišnik Z, Fasolin LH, Vicente AA, Martin AD, Thordarson P, Damodaran KK. Enhanced Mechanical and Thermal Strength in Mixed-Enantiomers-Based Supramolecular Gel. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:12957-12967. [PMID: 30272986 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b02729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Mixing supramolecular gels based on enantiomers leads to re-arrangement of gel fibers at the molecular level, which results in more favorable packing and tunable properties. Bis(urea) compounds tagged with a phenylalanine methyl ester in racemic and enantiopure forms were synthesized. Both enantiopure and racemate compounds formed gels in a wide range of solvents and the racemate (1-rac) formed a stronger gel network compared with the enantiomers. The gel (1R+1S) obtained by mixing equimolar amount of enantiomers (1R and 1S) showed enhanced mechanical and thermal stability compared to enantiomers and racemate gels. The preservation of chirality in these compounds was analyzed by circular dichroism and optical rotation measurements. Analysis of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images revealed that the network in the mixed gel is a combination of enantiomers and racemate fibers, which was further supported by solid-state NMR. The analysis of the packing in xerogels by solid-state NMR spectra and the existence of twisted-tape morphology in SEM and AFM images confirmed the presence of both self-sorted and co-assembled fibers in mixed gel. The enhanced thermal and mechanical strength may be attributed to the enhanced intermolecular forces between the racemate and the enantiomer and the combination of both self-sorted and co-assembled enantiomers in the mixed gel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daníel Arnar Tómasson
- Department of Chemistry, Science Institute , University of Iceland , Dunhagi 3 , 107 Reykjavík , Iceland
| | - Dipankar Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, Science Institute , University of Iceland , Dunhagi 3 , 107 Reykjavík , Iceland
| | - Zala Kržišnik
- Department of Chemistry, Science Institute , University of Iceland , Dunhagi 3 , 107 Reykjavík , Iceland
| | - Luiz Henrique Fasolin
- Centre of Biological Engineering , University of Minho , Campus de Gualtar , 4710-057 Braga , Portugal
| | - António A Vicente
- Centre of Biological Engineering , University of Minho , Campus de Gualtar , 4710-057 Braga , Portugal
| | - Adam D Martin
- School of Chemistry, The Australian Centre for Nanomedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology , University of New South Wales , Sydney 2052 , Australia
| | - Pall Thordarson
- School of Chemistry, The Australian Centre for Nanomedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology , University of New South Wales , Sydney 2052 , Australia
| | - Krishna K Damodaran
- Department of Chemistry, Science Institute , University of Iceland , Dunhagi 3 , 107 Reykjavík , Iceland
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14
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Ruíz-Olles J, Smith DK. Diffusion across a gel-gel interface - molecular-scale mobility of self-assembled 'solid-like' gel nanofibres in multi-component supramolecular organogels. Chem Sci 2018; 9:5541-5550. [PMID: 30061985 PMCID: PMC6048691 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc01071d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper explores macroscopic-scale diffusion of the molecular-scale building blocks of two-component self-assembled organogel nanofibres using a diffusion cell in which two different gels are in contact with one another. Both components of the 'solid-like' nanofibres (lysine peptide dendron acids and amines) can diffuse through these gels and across a gel-gel interface, although diffusion is significantly slower than that of a non-interactive additive in the 'liquid-like' phase of the gel. Amine diffusion was probed by bringing similar gels with different amines into contact. Dendron acid diffusion was tested by bringing similar gels with enantiomeric dendrons into contact. Surprisingly, dendron and amine diffusion rates were similar, even though the peptide dendron is more intimately hydrogen bonded in the self-assembled nanofibres. It is proposed that thermal disassembly of the acid-amine complex delivers both components into the liquid-like phase, allowing them to diffuse via a decomplexation/recomplexation mechanism. This is a rare observation in which molecules assembled into solid-like gel nanofibres are mobile - in dynamic equilibrium with the liquid-like phase. Gel nanofibre diffusion and reorganisation are vital in understanding dynamic materials processes such as metastability, self-healing and adaptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Ruíz-Olles
- Department of Chemistry , University of York , Heslington , York , YO10 5DD , UK .
| | - David K Smith
- Department of Chemistry , University of York , Heslington , York , YO10 5DD , UK .
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