Salt-induced hydrogels from functionalised-dipeptides

A range of functionalised-dipeptides are shown here to form gels on addition of Ca2+ to solutions at high pH. We show that the ability to form gels correlates with the hydrophobicity of the dipeptides, which determines whether worm-like micelles are formed at high pH. The dipeptides can be functionalised with a number of different groups including naphthalene rings as well as alkyl chains. The effect of aging on stock solutions and gels is discussed. We show that gels can also be formed when trivalent or polyvalent salts are added.