Alkaline cations dramatically control molecular hydrogelation by an amino acid-derived anionic amphiphile
comunitat-uji-handle:10234/9
comunitat-uji-handle2:10234/7053
comunitat-uji-handle3:10234/8639
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INVESTIGACIONMetadatos
Título
Alkaline cations dramatically control molecular hydrogelation by an amino acid-derived anionic amphiphileFecha de publicación
2023-01-03Editor
ElsevierISSN
0021-9797Cita bibliográfica
Angulo-Pachón, C. A., Pozo, V., & Miravet, J. F. (2023). Alkaline cations dramatically control molecular hydrogelation by an amino acid-derived anionic amphiphile. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 635, 524-534.Tipo de documento
info:eu-repo/semantics/articleVersión
info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersionPalabras clave / Materias
Resumen
Understanding the factors that control the formation of (supra)molecular hydrogels permits a rational tuning of their properties and represents a primary challenge for developing smart biocompatible soft materials. ... [+]
Understanding the factors that control the formation of (supra)molecular hydrogels permits a rational tuning of their properties and represents a primary challenge for developing smart biocompatible soft materials. Hydrogel formation by molecular amphiphilic anions at millimolar concentrations is counterintuitive, considering the solubility of these species in water. Here we report hydrogel formation by a simple anionic molecular amphiphile and a rationale for the fibrillisation process observed. The studied molecule, DodValSuc, consists of a 12C alkyl chain, an l-valine unit and a terminal succinic acid moiety. Hydrogelation depends to a large degree on the nature and concentration of the alkaline cations present in the medium (Li+, Na+ or K+). As a result, gelation efficiency and properties like thermal stability or rheology are highly tunable using the alkaline cation present or its concentration as variables.
A detailed study is reported, which includes the determination of minimum gelation concentration (MGC) by tabletop rheology, critical micelle concentration (CMC) using pyrene as a fluorescent probe, thermal stability (solubility) by 1H NMR, the morphology of the fibres by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), crystallinity by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and gel strength by oscillatory rheology. Additionally, dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to evaluate the size of the micelles and permitted monitoring of the fibrillisation process.
Altogether, the results are consistent with the formation of micelles that experience head crystallisation and subsequent aggregation into crystalline fibres. The alkaline cations play a crucial role in providing the cement that glues together the gelator molecules, making their concentration a critical parameter for gelation efficiency and properties. Furthermore, the gelation-promoting effects are inversely correlated with the size of the cations so that the highest thermal stability and rheological strength were found for the hydrogels formed in the presence of Li+. [-]
Publicado en
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 635 (2023) 524–534Datos relacionados
Data will be made available on request.Entidad financiadora
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades | European Union | Universitat Jaume I
Código del proyecto o subvención
RTI2018-096748-B-I00 | UJI-B2018-30
Derechos de acceso
0021-9797/© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
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