Abstract
Exposure of lysine-containing peptide-based gelators to the cross-linking agent glutaraldehyde allows tuning of gel mechanical properties. The effect of cross-linking depends on the position of the lysine residue in the peptide chain, the concentration of gelator and the conditions under which cross-linking takes place. Through control of these factors, cross-linking leads to increased gel strength.
Highlights
Exposure of lysine-containing peptide-based gelators to the cross-linking agent glutaraldehyde allows tuning of gel mechanical properties
While chemical cross-linking in supramolecular hydrogels regularly increases gel stiffness, very few approaches increase gel strength and some even decrease the gels’ resistance to strain.[5]
Glutaraldehyde clearly has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the gels studied so far, providing a simple strategy for tuning both strength and stiffness of peptide-based gelators
Summary
Exposure of lysine-containing peptide-based gelators to the cross-linking agent glutaraldehyde allows tuning of gel mechanical properties. Slight increases in stiffness (G0) were observed in 2NapFFK 5 mg mLÀ1 (Fig. 3) when comparing the control samples and the samples exposed to glutaraldehyde for 24 hours post-gelation. The samples where glutaraldehyde was added post-gelation and left to react for 72 hours showed even greater increases in stiffness compared to the controls.
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