School of Chemistry, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
Institut Laue-Langevin, Large Scale Structures Group, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, Grenoble CEDEX 9, F-38042, France.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2023 Feb;44(4):e2200709. doi: 10.1002/marc.202200709. Epub 2022 Oct 18.
Mixing low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) can be used to combine favorable properties of the individual components within a multifunctional gel. Such multicomponent systems are complex enough in themselves but the method of combining components is not commonly considered something to influence self-assembly. Herein, two multicomponent systems comprising of a naphthalene-based dipeptide hydrogelator and one of two modified naphthalene diimides (NDIs), one of which forms gels, and the other does not, are investigated. These systems are probed, examining the structures formed and their gel properties (when preparing a solution from either a mixed powder of both components or by mixing pre-formed solutions of each component) using rheology, small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and absorbance spectroscopy. It is found that by altering the method of preparation, it is can either induce self-sorting or co-assembly within the fibers formed that underpin the gel network.
混合低分子量凝胶剂 (LMWG) 可用于将单个组分的有利性质结合在多功能凝胶中。此类多组分系统本身已经足够复杂，但组合组件的方法通常不被认为会影响自组装。在此，研究了由萘基二肽水凝胶剂和两种改性萘二酰亚胺 (NDI) 之一组成的两个多组分系统，其中一种形成凝胶，另一种则不形成凝胶。使用流变学、小角中子散射 (SANS) 和吸光度光谱法来探测这些系统，检查形成的结构及其凝胶性质（无论是通过混合两种成分的混合粉末还是通过混合每个成分的预成型溶液来制备溶液）。结果发现，通过改变制备方法，可以在形成纤维的过程中诱导自分类或共组装，这些纤维是支撑凝胶网络的基础。
