Controllable self-growth of a hydrogel with multiple membranes

Abstract

The controllable self-growth of a supramolecular hydrogel of folic acid (FA) was developed based on the conduction of transition metal ions. The growth behavior of the gel could be flexibly controlled by adjusting the ambient environmental factors such as gelator concentration, temperature and external chemical stimuli. The obtained gel was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and rheological measurements. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the gel possessed excellent thermal stability. A mechanism for the fibrous formation of the gel was suggested based on the experimental results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy.The gel exhibited multiple stimuli-responsive properties to changes in ligand and pH. Furthermore, the gel can be incorporated into multi-layer hydrogels in both artificial and spontaneous ways, showing the advantages of self-growth and flexible control of the gel system. This novel hydrogel and the preparation strategy may provide a new route to rationally design advanced materials for biomedical applications.

Rapid and Superior Bacteria Killing of Carbon Quantum Dots/ZnO Decorated Injectable Folic Acid‐Conjugated PDA Hydrogel through Dual‐Light Triggered ROS and Membrane Permeability

“…Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to identify the surface functional groups of the samples. In Figure B, a strong peak is located at 1694 cm −1 in the spectrum of pure FA, which is due to the free carbonyl group in FA, but this peak disappears in the DFT‐hydrogel spectrum . The stretching vibration appears at 1565 cm −1 for FA and shifts to 1543 cm −1 for DFT‐hydrogel, consistent with reported results; this shift proves the coordination between the metal ions and carboxylates.…”

“…The signal at 1630 cm −1 appears in the spectra of both PDA and DFT‐hydrogel, indicating the existence of PDA in the DFT‐hydrogel . The similar peak located at 360 nm in the UV–vis spectra shown in Figure C further confirms the successful combination of FA and PDA …”

“…The stretching vibration appears at 1565 cm −1 for FA and shifts to 1543 cm −1 for DFT‐hydrogel, consistent with reported results; this shift proves the coordination between the metal ions and carboxylates. Furthermore, the peak at 530 cm −1 in the DFT‐hydrogel spectrum is assigned to the metal‐oxygen bond, which is considered the key factor in gelation . The signal at 1630 cm −1 appears in the spectra of both PDA and DFT‐hydrogel, indicating the existence of PDA in the DFT‐hydrogel .…”

Controllable self-assemblies of sodium benzoate in different solvent environments

“…Supramolecular self-assembly based on low molecular weight molecules has been a research highlight in the past decade. 1 Natural compounds or their derivatives, such as sugars, 2 porphyrins, 3 folic acid 4 and so on, can all be used as the building blocks of supramolecular self-assembled aggregates. Besides, some designed compounds can act as building blocks too.…”

Reversible pH-responsive helical nanoribbons formed using camptothecin

“…The self-assembly of low-molecular-weight molecules into various hierarchical structures has attracted extensive attention in the past decade. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Construction of supramolecular selfassemblies with desired structures and properties endows low-molecular-weight molecules with signicant function in the development of so materials. Low-molecular-weight natural products derivatives are oen used to fabricate hierarchical structures.…”