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Self‐Assembly of a Tripodal Triszwitterion Forms a pH‐Switchable Hydrogel that Can Reversibly Encapsulate Hydrophobic Guests in Water
Author(s) -
Jana Poulami,
Schmuck Carsten
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201601122
Subject(s) - nile red , dynamic light scattering , supramolecular chemistry , self assembly , rheology , aqueous solution , chemical engineering , hydrophobic effect , intermolecular force , chemistry , nanotechnology , drug delivery , smart material , viscosity , polymer chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , fluorescence , nanoparticle , molecule , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
The development of supramolecular smart materials, which exhibit physicochemical structural changes in response to external stimuli is of current interest for various applications. Herein, we have developed the novel tripodal triszwitterion 1 , derived from a C 3 ‐symmetric benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamide (BTA) core, which forms a thermo‐reversible and pH‐switchable transparent hydrogel through intermolecular self‐complementary zwitterionic interactions at a neutral pH value. The hierarchical supramolecular self‐aggregation was fully analyzed by microscopy (AFM, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)), viscosity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and rheology studies. Moreover, compound 1 enables to encapsulate hydrophobic guests, such as the dye Nile red in aqueous medium at pH 6, which makes it an interesting candidate for drug delivery and controlled release.