Journal
SOFT MATTER
Volume 6, Issue 14, Pages 3220-3231Publisher
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY
DOI: 10.1039/c0sm00018c
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Funding
- Alzheimer's Association [NIRG-08-90797]
- University of Rochester
- US Department of Education
- NSF
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Fmoc-protected aromatic amino acids, including Fmoc-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe), Fmoc-tyrosine (Fmoc-Tyr), and Fmoc-pentafluorophenylalanine (Fmoc-F-5-Phe), have been shown to undergo efficient self-assembly and to promote hydrogelation in aqueous solvents. In order to probe the electronic and steric role of the benzyl side-chain in hydrophobic and pi-pi interactions during self-assembly, the hydrogelation behavior of monohalogenated (F, Cl, Br) Fmoc-Phe side-chain derivatives was assessed. Incorporation of single halogen substituents on the aromatic side-chain of Fmoc-Phe dramatically enhances the efficient self-assembly of these amino acid derivatives (relative to Fmoc-Phe) into amyloid-like fibrils that promote hydrogelation in aqueous solvents. The position of halogen substitution (ortho, meta, para) and the halogen itself (F, Cl, Br) exert a strong influence on the self-assembly rate and on the bulk rheological properties of the resultant hydrogel. These results demonstrate that minimal atomic substitutions can be used to tune self-assembly and gelation of small molecule hydrogelators.
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