Biomimetic Strain‐Stiffening Self‐Assembled Hydrogels

Supramolecular structures with strain‐stiffening properties are ubiquitous in nature but remain rare in the lab. Herein, we report on strain‐stiffening supramolecular hydrogels that are entirely produced through the self‐assembly of synthetic molecular gelators. The involved gelators self‐assemble into semi‐flexible fibers, which thereby crosslink into hydrogels. Interestingly, these hydrogels are capable of stiffening in response to applied stress, resembling biological intermediate filaments system. Furthermore, strain‐stiffening hydrogel networks embedded with liposomes are constructed through orthogonal self‐assembly of gelators and phospholipids, mimicking biological tissues in both architecture and mechanical properties. This work furthers the development of biomimetic soft materials with mechanical responsiveness and presents potentially enticing applications in diverse fields, such as tissue engineering, artificial life, and strain sensors.     

Strain Stiffening Hydrogels through Self-Assembly and Covalent Fixation of Semi-Flexible Fibers

Biomimetic, strain-stiffening materials are reported, made through self-assembly and covalent fixation of small building blocks to form fibrous hydrogels that are able to stiffen by an order of magnitude in response to applied stress. The gels consist of semi-flexible rodlike micelles of bisurea bolaamphiphiles with oligo(ethylene oxide) (EO) outer blocks and a polydiacetylene (PDA) backbone. The micelles are fibers, composed of 9–10 ribbons. A gelation method based on Cu-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), was developed and shown to lead to strain-stiffening hydrogels with unusual, yet universal, linear and nonlinear stress–strain response. Upon gelation, the X-ray scattering profile is unchanged, suggesting that crosslinks are formed at random positions along the fiber contour without fiber bundling. The work expands current knowledge about the design principles and chemistries needed to achieve fully synthetic, biomimetic soft matter with on-demand, targeted mechanical properties.     

Self‐Sorting Double‐Network Hydrogels with Tunable Supramolecular Handedness and Mechanical Properties

Self‐sorting, simultaneous, and orthogonal operations during the self‐assembly of complex mixtures are commonly observed for biological species but rare in artificial systems. In this study, we designed two gelators (LPF and LPFEG) containing the same chiral phenylalanine core but different achiral peripheral substituents to give hydrogels with opposite supramolecular handedness. When the two hydrogels were mixed, double‐network nanofibers with opposite handedness were formed by spontaneous high‐order organization and self‐sorting of the two gelators. The chiroptical activity of the double‐network hydrogels could be tuned by varying the molar ratio of LPF and LPFEG in the mixture, thus showing that the two gelators were highly independent of each other. Enhanced mechanical properties were observed for the interpenetrating networks when the LPF/LPFEG molar ratio was 3:7, with a more than fourfold increase in both the storage (G′) and loss modulus (G′′) relative to those of the individual hydrogels.     

Hybrid Hydrogels Assembled from Phenylalanine Derivatives and Agarose with Enhanced Mechanical Strength

A roadblock for supramolecular hydrogels is their poor mechanical properties. Herein, to enhance the mechanical strength of supramolecular hydrogels, agarose(AG) was incorporated into the low molecular weight hydrogelator(G1). The results of scanning electron microscopy(SEM), circular dichroism(CD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) prove that G1 gelators can self-assemble into cross-linked network together with AG. The mechanical properties of the gels are characterized by a rotary rheometer and the mechanical properties of the hybrid hydrogels(Hgel) can be significantly improved and may be further tuned by changing the ratio of the two components. For example, the elastic modulus of Hgel Ⅱ[m(G1):m(AG)=7:3] is about 2 times higher than that of G1 hydrogel. The results demonstrate that the mechanical property of hybrid supramolecular hydrogels can be adjusted through the formation of a cross-linked network.     

Sequential Assembly of Mutually Interactive Supramolecular Hydrogels and Fabrication of Multi-Domain Materials

A two-component self-sorting hydrogel based on acylhydrazide and carboxylic acid derivatives of 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-d -sorbitol (DBS-CONHNH₂ and DBS-COOH) is reported. A heating–cooling cycle induces the self-assembly of DBS-CONHNH₂, followed by the self-assembly of DBS-COOH induced by decreasing pH. Although the networks are formed sequentially, there is spectroscopic evidence of interactions between them, which impact on the mechanical properties and significantly enhance the ability of these low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) to form gels when mixed. The DBS-COOH network can be switched “off” and “on” within the two-component gel through a pH change. By using a photo-acid generator, the two-component gel can be prepared combining the thermal trigger with photo-irradiation. Photo-patterned self-assembly of DBS-COOH within a pre-formed DBS-CONHNH₂ gel under a mask yields spatially controlled multi-domain gels. Different gel domains can have different functions, for example, controlling the rate of release of heparin incorporated into the gel, or directing gold nanoparticle assembly. Such photo-patterned multi-component hydrogels have potential applications in regenerative medicine or bio-nano-electronics.     

Gel- and Solid-State-Structure of Dialanine and Diphenylalanine Amphiphiles: Importance of C⋅⋅⋅H Interactions in Gelation

To investigate the role of the capping group in the solution and solid-state self-assembly of short peptide amphiphiles, dialanine and diphenylalanine have been linked via the N-terminus to a benzene (phenyl) and 3-naphthyl capping groups using three different methylene linkers; (CH₂)_n, n=0–4 for the benezene and 0, 1 and 2 for the naphthalene capping group. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), oscillatory rheology, circular dichroism (CD), and IR analysis have been employed to understand the properties of these peptide-based hydrogels. Several X-ray structures of these short peptide gelators give useful conformational information regarding packing. A comparison of these solid state structures with their gel state properties yielded greater insights into the process of self-assembly in short peptide gelators, particularly in terms of the important role of C⋅⋅⋅H interactions appear to play in determining if a short aromatic peptide does form a gel or not.     

Self-assembly in magnetic supramolecular hydrogels

Most recent advances in the synthesis of supramolecular hydrogels based on low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) have focused on the development of novel hybrid hydrogels, combining LMWGs and different additives. The dynamic nature of the noncovalent interactions of supramolecular hydrogels, together with the specific properties of the additives included in the formulation, allow these novel hybrid hydrogels to present interesting features, such as stimuli-responsiveness, gel-sol reversibility, self-healing and thixotropy, which make them very appealing for multiple biomedical and biotechnological applications. In particular, the inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles in the hydrogel matrix results in magnetic hydrogels, a particular type of stimuli-responsive materials that respond to applied magnetic fields. This review focuses on the recent advances in the development of magnetic supramolecular hydrogels, with special emphasis in the role of the magnetic nanoparticles in the self-assembly process, as well as in the exciting applications of these materials.     

Gelator-polysaccharide hybrid hydrogel for selective and controllable dye release

In this paper, 1,4-bi(phenylalanine-diglycol)-benzene (PDB) based Low-Molecular-Weight-Gelator (LMWG) hydrogels are modified using hydrophilic polysaccharide (sodium alginate). A set of techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), and circular dichroism (CD) had confirmed a β-turn arrangement of PDB gelators and a semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN), which was formed through hydrogen bonds between LMWG fibers and polysaccharide chains. The evaluation of physicochemical properties of hydrogels indicates that gelator-polysaccharide hybrid hydrogels possess better mechanical and water retention properties than LMWG hydrogels. The release study of dyes (model drug) from both LMWG and hybrid hydrogels was carried out. Compared with PDB based hydrogels, hybrid hydrogels show a selective and controllable release property for certain dyes. The results suggest LMWG-polysaccharide hybrid gels may find potential applications as promising drug delivery vehicles for drug molecules.     

Thermo-reversibility of the fluorescence enhancement of acridine orange induced by supramolecular self-assembly

Fluorescence enhancement of acridine orange (AO) in supramolecular hydrogels formed by self-assembly of the gelators 3-{[(2R)-2-(octadecylamino)-3-phenylpropanoyl]amino}butyrate (TC₁₈PheBu) and 1,3:2,4-di-O-benzylidene-d-sorbitol (DBS) was investigated by steady-state and varying temperature fluorescence, polarized fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. The results showed that the fluorescence intensities of AO in the gels remarkably increased in comparison with AO aqueous solutions, and increased with an increase of the gelator concentrations. The varying temperature fluorescence analysis indicated that fluorescence intensities of AO in the gels decreased upon an increase of temperature, and vice versa. This can be attributed to aggregation and dissociation of the gelators in the systems, since the fluorescence enhancement of AO was induced by self-assembly of the gelators. Polarized fluorescence analysis indicated that the values of anisotropy (r) of AO are significantly higher than that in water. This further confirmed that the three-dimensional network formed by the gelator aggregates constrained the rotation of AO entrapped within the gels, resulting in high values of anisotropy. Time-resolved fluorescence analysis indicated that the rates of fluorescence decay in the gels are lower than that in water. These results reveal thermo-reversibility of the fluorescence enhancement of AO in supramolecular hydrogels.     

Light-Responsive Arylazopyrazole Gelators: From Organic to Aqueous Media and from Supramolecular to Dynamic Covalent Chemistry

Versatile photoresponsive gels based on tripodal low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are reported. A cyclohexane-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (CTA) core provides face-to-face hydrogen bonding and a planar conformation, inducing the self-assembly of supramolecular polymers. The CTA core was substituted with three arylazopyrazole (AAP) arms. AAP is a molecular photoswitch that isomerizes reversibly under alternating UV and green light irradiation. The E isomer of AAP is planar, favoring the self-assembly, whereas the Z isomer has a twisted structure, leading to a disassembly of the supramolecular polymers. By using tailor-made molecular design of the tripodal gelator, light-responsive organogels and hydrogels were obtained. Additionally, in the case of the hydrogels, AAP was coupled to the core through hydrazones, so that the hydrogelator and, hence, the photoresponsive hydrogel could also be assembled and disassembled by using dynamic covalent chemistry.     

Synthesis and characterization of maltose-based amphiphiles as supramolecular hydrogelators

Low molecular mass amphiphilic glycolipids have been prepared by linking a maltose polar head and a hydrophobic linear chain either by amidation or copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition. The liquid crystalline properties of these amphiphilic materials have been characterized. The influence of the chemical structure of these glycolipids on the gelation properties in water has also been studied. Glycolipids obtained by the click coupling of the two components give rise to stable hydrogels at room temperature. The fibrillar structure of supramolecular hydrogels obtained by the self-assembly of these gelators have been characterized by electron microscopy. Fibers showed some torsion, which could be related with a chiral supramolecular arrangement of amphiphiles, as confirmed by circular dichroism (CD). The sol-gel transition temperature was also determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and NMR.     

Molecular hydrogels from bolaform amino acid derivatives: a structure-properties study based on the thermodynamics of gel solubilization

Insight is provided into the aggregation thermodynamics associated to hydrogel formation by molecular gelators derived from L-valine and L-isoleucine. Solubility data from NMR measurements are used to extract thermodynamic parameters for the aggregation in water. It is concluded that at room temperature and up to 55?°C, these systems form self-assembled fibrillar networks in water with quite low or zero enthalpic component, whereas the entropy of the aggregation is favorable. These results are explained by considering that the hydrophobic effect is dominant in the self-assembly. However, studies by NMR and IR spectroscopy reveal that intermolecular hydrogen bonding is also a key issue in the aggregation process of these molecules in water. The low enthalpy values measured for the self-assembly process are ascribed to the result of a compensation of the favorable intermolecular hydrogen-bond formation and the unfavorable enthalpy component of the hydrophobic effect. Additionally, it is shown that by using the hydrophobic character as a design parameter, enthalpy-controlled hydrogel formation, as opposed to entropy-controlled hydrogel formation, can be achieved in water if the gelator is polar enough. It is noteworthy that these two types of hydrogels, enthalpy-versus entropy-driven hydrogels, present quite different response to temperature changes in properties such as the minimum gelator concentration (mgc) or the rheological moduli. Finally, the presence of a polymorphic transition in a hydrogel upon heating above 70?°C is reported and ascribed to the weakening of the hydrophobic effect upon heating. The new soft polymorphic materials present dramatically different solubility and rheological properties. Altogether these results are aimed to contribute to the rational design of molecular hydrogelators, which could be used for the tailored preparation of this type of soft materials. The reported results could also provide ground for the rationale of different self-assembly processes in aqueous media.     

Design,preparation and applications of gel nanocomposites from bile acids – A brief review

Synthesis of advanced hybrid materials formed by the unification of nanoparticles with gels is gaining importance due to their unusual properties coupled with the ease of fabrication. The gel medium provides a template for generating complex inorganic nanostructures with controlled size and desirable mechanical properties. In this paper, we review the synthesis of various inorganic nanoparticles in gel matrices formed by the self-assembly of bile acid-derived gelators and the role of the gel medium to improve the properties of the nanocomposites.     

The self-assembly of dialdehyde-cellulose-nanofiber-based hydrogels with high compression resilience

Cellulose - Cellulose-nanofiber-based hydrogels (CNF-Gel) exhibit excellent mechanical properties and designable functions. However, it is difficult to coordinate the complex self-assembly...     

Injectable poloxamer/graphene oxide hydrogels with well‐controlled mechanical and rheological properties

Although significant progress has been made in the design and application of injectable hydrogels for biomedical applications, concurrent control of rheological and mechanical properties of injectable hydrogels has remained as an open challenge to the researchers. In this work, we introduce and put into practice a photo‐curable poloxamer (also known as Pluronic)/graphene oxide (Plu/GO) injectable hydrogel with well‐controlled rheological and mechanical properties. Acrylate group was anchored to hydrogel structure to endow photo‐crosslinking ability through decelerating degradation rate of poloxamer hydrogels after injection. It was found that the modified Plu remains stable in biological media for a long‐term period without significant weight loss. Rheological properties of hydrogels were also carried out as essential prerequisite for an ideal injectability via frequency sweep, flow curve, recovery, and yield stress before and after modification, signifying shear‐thinning behavior of Plu/GO hydrogels with high recoverability. The viscosity of shear‐thinning‐like hydrogels dropped at higher shear stress, which facilitated injection process. Moreover, mechanical behavior of Plu was optimized by manipulating the content of Plu, degree of modification with reactive precursor, curing, and particularly incorporation of GO without deteriorating effects on rheological behavior of Plu.     

Mechanical Reinforcement of Molecular Hydrogel by Co‐assembly of Short Peptide‐based Gelators with Different Aromatic Capping Groups

We demonstrated in this study that mixing two short peptide‐based gelators with different aromatic capping groups would result in molecular hydrogels with enhanced mechanical property. We selected gelators of PTZ‐GFFY and Nap‐GFFY for the study. Both PTZ‐GFFY and Nap‐GFFY could independently form molecular hydrogel by a heating‐cooling process. However, the mechanical property of gels of PTZ‐GFFY and Nap‐GFFY was relatively weak with storage moduli (G′) of about 500 and 150 Pa, respectively. A two‐component gel of PTZ‐GFFY and Nap‐GFFY could also form by a heating‐cooling process. Surprisingly, the G′ value of the two‐component gel was about 5000 Pa , which was at least ten times bigger than that of each single‐component gel. This is a novel and simple strategy to improve the mechanical property of molecular hydrogels.     

Optimizing biomimetic gelators constructed from amino acid building blocks

This paper reports the use of a range of amino acids to construct diverse gelators, employing structures in which Boc-protected amino acids are attached to either end of an aliphatic diamine spacer chain. The choice of amino acid determines whether nanoscale self-assembly takes place and controls the properties of the resultant material, while the function of the amino acid (e.g., the optical properties of tryptophan) is translated into the self-assembled nanostructured gel.     

Hydrophobic End‐Modulated Amino‐Acid‐Based Neutral Hydrogelators: Structure‐Specific Inclusion of Carbon Nanomaterials

Hydrophobic end‐modulated l ‐phenylalanine‐containing triethylene glycol monomethyl ether tagged neutral hydrogelators ( 1 – 4 ) are developed. Investigations determine the gelators’ structure‐dependent inclusion of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) in the self‐assembled fibrillar network (SAFIN). The gelators ( 1 , 3 , and 4 ) can immobilize water and aqueous buffer (pH 3–7) with a minimum gelator concentration of 10–15 mg mL^?1. The hydrophobic parts of the gelators are varied from a long chain (C‐16) to an extended aromatic pyrenyl moiety, and their abilities to integrate 1 D and 2 D allotropes of carbon (i.e., single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and graphene oxide (GO), respectively) within the gel are investigated. Gelator 1 , containing a long alkyl chain (C‐16), can include SWNTs, whereas the pyrene‐containing 4 can include both SWNTs and GO. Gelator 3 fails to incorporate SWNTs or GO owing to its slow rate of gelation and possibly a mismatch between the aggregated structure and CNMs. The involvement of various forces in self‐aggregated gelation and physicochemical changes occurring through CNM inclusion are examined by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The distinctive pattern of self‐assembly of gelators 1 and 4 through J‐ and H‐type aggregation might facilitate the structure‐specific CNM inclusion. Inclusion of SWNTs/GO within the hydrogel matrix results in a reinforcement in mechanical stiffness of the composites compared with that of the native hydrogels.     

亚苄基山梨醇衍生物在有机溶剂中的自组装及凝胶化研究

从分子结构的差异、亲溶剂作用、分子几何构型、相转变热焓以及溶剂极性等方面研究了三种亚苄基山梨醇衍生物凝胶剂在有机溶剂中的自组装和凝胶化机理. 三种衍生物凝胶剂在结构上的差别仅在于亚苄基上甲基取代基数量不同. 结果表明: 由于亲溶剂作用的增加和分子几何构型的优化, 含甲基多的凝胶剂在有机溶剂中的自组装能力强, 表现在具有低的最低凝胶化浓度和高的相转变温度. 而溶剂极性的增强, 使三种衍生物凝胶剂形成的凝胶相转变温度降低. 偏光显微镜照片表明该凝胶剂在正辛醇凝胶中的聚集体晶型不同. 场发射扫描电镜照片表明三种衍生物凝胶剂自组装形成相互缠绕的纤维束网络结构. 紫外吸收光谱表明, 对比其溶液态, 三种衍生物聚集体苯环的K带发生红移, 表明π-π堆积作用是亚苄基山梨醇衍生物凝胶剂自组装的驱动力之一; 红移的幅度随苯环上甲基数量的增加而增加, 这与三种衍生物形成的分子凝胶的热稳定性相吻合.     

Physical, chemical, and chemical-physical double network of zwitterionic hydrogels

Zwitterionic hydrogels are very promising for biomedical applications. They are usually copolymerized with other polymers to improve their mechanical properties often at the expense of their biological properties. In this study, physically cross-linked poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (polySBMA) hydrogels were prepared, and their physical properties including phase behavior were investigated. Linear polySBMAs, with an average molecular weight ranging from 20.9 kDa to 316 kDa, were prepared via free radical polymerization at different KCl concentrations. The opaque-transparent phase transition of polySBMA-water mixtures were measured using a UV-vis spectrometer. Analysis from dynamic rheometry showed the formation of physically cross-linked hydrogels with mechanical ductility due to reversible charge interactions. Chemically cross-linked hydrogels were also prepared, and their swelling and mechanical properties were evaluated. It was found that the introduction of cross-linkers could lead to a decrease in the amount of physical cross-links in chemical hydrogels. In order to improve the mechanical properties of SBMA hydrogels, linear polySBMA was introduced to the network of chemically cross-linked polySBMA gels, creating a chemical-physical double network (DN) with both chemical and physical cross-links. The chemical-physical DN provides a desirable method to improve the mechanical properties of zwitterionic hydrogels without introducing other hydrophobic moieties.