TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of heterocyclic capping groups on the self-assembly of a dipeptide hydrogel
AU - Martin, Adam D.
AU - Wojciechowski, Jonathan P.
AU - Warren, Holly
AU - in het Panhuis, Marc
AU - Thordarson, Pall
N1 - Copyright The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - The mechanism and design rules associated with the self-assembly of short peptides into hydrogels is currently not well understood. In this work, four diphenylalanine-based peptides have been synthesised, bearing heterocyclic capping groups which have different degrees of hydrogen bonding potential and nitrogen substitution. For these four peptides, zeta potential and electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements were undertaken to monitor gelation, with the impedance data showing different gelation times for each peptide hydrogel. Through a combination of atomic force microscopy and rheological measurmeents, including dynamic strain and frequency sweeps, and thixotropic tests, the relationship between the mechanism of self-assembly in these hydrogels and their macroscopic behaviour can be established. It is observed that the degree of nitrogen substitution affects the self-assembly mechanisms of the hydrogels and as such, that there is an interplay between branching and bundling self-assembly pathways that are responsible for the final properties of each hydrogel.
AB - The mechanism and design rules associated with the self-assembly of short peptides into hydrogels is currently not well understood. In this work, four diphenylalanine-based peptides have been synthesised, bearing heterocyclic capping groups which have different degrees of hydrogen bonding potential and nitrogen substitution. For these four peptides, zeta potential and electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements were undertaken to monitor gelation, with the impedance data showing different gelation times for each peptide hydrogel. Through a combination of atomic force microscopy and rheological measurmeents, including dynamic strain and frequency sweeps, and thixotropic tests, the relationship between the mechanism of self-assembly in these hydrogels and their macroscopic behaviour can be established. It is observed that the degree of nitrogen substitution affects the self-assembly mechanisms of the hydrogels and as such, that there is an interplay between branching and bundling self-assembly pathways that are responsible for the final properties of each hydrogel.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84960191939&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/c6sm00025h
DO - 10.1039/c6sm00025h
M3 - Article
C2 - 26860207
VL - 12
SP - 2700
EP - 2707
JO - Soft Matter
JF - Soft Matter
SN - 1744-683X
IS - 10
ER -