Molecular recognition remolds the self-assembly of hydrogelators and increases the elasticity of the hydrogel by 10(6)-fold.
Addition of vancomycin (1, the receptor) to the supramolecular hydrogel of self-assembled pyrene-d-Ala-d-Ala (2, the ligand) increases the storage modulus of the hydrogel of 2 by about 106-fold. Rheology, microscopy, and spectroscopy investigations suggest that the two-dimensional polymers, formed by the ligand-receptor interaction between 1 and 2, and the self-dimerization of 1, are mainly responsible for the observed dramatic increase in elasticity.
Zhang
Yan
Y
Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Yang
Zhimou
Z
Yuan
Fang
F
Gu
Hongwei
H
Gao
Ping
P
Xu
Bing
B
D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008024:Ligands; D008958:Models, Molecular; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000737:chemistry*; D014783:Viscosity
D004151:Dipeptides; D020100:Hydrogels; D008024:Ligands; C002956:alanylalanine; D014640:Vancomycin