Role of water in the formation of unusual organogels with cyclo(leucyl-leucyl).

Safiullina, Aisylu S; Ziganshina, Sufia A; Lyadov, Nikolay M; Klimovitskii, Alexander E; Ziganshin, Marat A; Gorbatchuk, Valery V · Soft Matter · 2019

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The key role of water in the formation of cyclo(leucyl-leucyl) organogels was demonstrated. The conditions required for preparation of previously unknown gels with aliphatic hydrocarbons at room temperature were determined. Cyclo(leucyl-leucyl) self-assembles to form different structures depending on the medium used. The molecular organization of gels was studied by the methods of microscopy, spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffractometry. The organogel of cyclo(leucyl-leucyl) can reversibly change volume during the heating/cooling cycle. We showed the possibility of practical application of cyclo(leucyl-leucyl) for water purification. The results obtained give a new insight into the mechanism of gelation with cyclo(dipeptide)-based low-molecular-weight gelators and may be useful for the preparation of new physical gels.