title: Sol-gel transition accelerated by the co-assembly of two components in supramolecular hydrogels.
abstract: N-Palmitoyl-Gly-His (PalGH) and glycerol 1-monopalmitate (GMP) in water co-assembled into fibrils with twisted ribbon structures and formed a homogeneous network, resulting in gel formation. Shaking the gel easily broke the fibril network leading to a sol in which high and low fibril density regions exist. After a period at room temperature, the higher density regions became interconnected. The spontaneous sol-gel transition did not take place for a gel made from only PalGH. Also, during the transition, the aggregation state of the co-assembly remained unchanged at a molecular level, unlike the fibril network. Thus, it can be claimed that the sol-gel transition is not associated with the assembled molecular configuration, but with the change in the fibril network. This knowledge might be useful for understanding and controlling sol-gel transition, thereby leading to the design and functionalization of hydrogels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Automotive Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Atsuomi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shundo
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Kowichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saruhashi
authors.forename: Nobuhide
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyachi
authors.forename: Nobutomo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsuruzoe
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka