title: Enzyme-triggered self-assembly of a small molecule: a supramolecular hydrogel with leaf-like structures and an ultra-low minimum gelation concentration.
abstract: We report on the use of a phosphatase to assist the formation of leaf-like structures and a supramolecular hydrogel with an ultra-low minimum gelation concentration. The compound can gel water at a minimum gelation concentration of 0.01 wt%, which is the lowest gelation concentration reported up to now. The images obtained by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the existence of leaf-like structures serving as the matrix of the hydrogels. The stability of the hydrogels was studied and emission spectra were used to get information about the molecular packing in the leaf-like structures. Since lowering the concentration of the gelator decreases the toxicity of the resulting hydrogels, ultra-low concentration gels have potential uses as biocompatible biomaterials for, e.g., cell cultures, tissue engineering, and drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huaimin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhimou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases