Surface‐Assisted Self‐Assembly of a Hydrogel by Proton Diffusion. Issue 35 (30th July 2018) - Spitzer, Daniel
Abstract: Controlling supramolecular growth at solid surfaces is of great importance to expand the scope of supramolecular materials. A dendritic benzene‐1, 3, 5‐tricarboxamide peptide conjugate is described in which assembly can be triggered by a pH jump. Stopped‐flow kinetics and mathematical modeling provide a quantitative understanding of the nucleation, elongation, and fragmentation behavior in solution. To assemble the molecule at a solid–liquid interface, we use proton diffusion from the bulk. The latter needs to be slower than the lag phase of nucleation to progressively grow a hydrogel outwards from the surface. Our method of surface‐assisted self‐assembly is generally applicable to other gelators, and can be used to create structured supramolecular materials. Abstract : Hydrogel growing from a surface : A pH‐responsive dendritic benzene‐1, 3, 5‐tricarboxamide peptide conjugate self‐assembles into 1D supramolecular polymers at pH<5.6. The system was kinetically and mechanistically studied and modeled, and hydrogels were grown from solid–liquid interfaces driven by proton diffusion.