title: Calcium ions to cross-link supramolecular nanofibers to tune the elasticity of hydrogels over orders of magnitude.
abstract: Learning from the stabilization of protein structures, we combine aromatic-aromatic and electrostatic interactions to tailor the elasticity of supramolecular hydrogels. Specifically, calcium ions allow interfiber cross-links among the supramolecular nanofibers of small peptides that consist of multiple carboxylic acid and aromatic groups. A small change in the concentration of calcium increases the elasticity of hydrogels over several orders of magnitude. This simple approach not only demonstrates a biomimetic design of materials but also confirms that the combination of multiple aromatic-aromatic interactions and multiple calcium salt bridges is a feasible way to control the mechanical properties of soft nanomaterials.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, MS 015, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA.
authors: Junfeng
authors: J
authors: Shi
authors: Yuan
authors: Y
authors: Gao
authors: Ye
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Pan
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Xu
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D020100:Hydrogels; D007477:Ions; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D002118:Calcium