No abstract

A synthetic amino acid (with a stilbene residue in the main chain) containing a tripeptide-based organogelator has been discovered. This peptide-based synthetic molecule 1 self-assembles in various organic solvents to form an organogel. The gel has been thoroughly characterized by using various microscopic techniques including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, and rheology. Morphological investigations using FESEM and AFM show a nanofibrillar network structure. Interestingly, the organogel is photoresponsive and a gel-sol transition occurred by irradiating the gel with UV light of 365 nm for 2 h as shown by the UV and fluorescence study. This photoresponsive fluorescent gel holds promise for new peptide-based soft materials with interesting applications.

Self-assembled bolaamphiphilic perylene bisimide (PBI) containing an amino acid appended fluorescent semiconducting soft material (hydrogel) has been discovered at physiological pH. This new organic material based on self-assembled perylene bisimide appended amino acid-based bolaamphiphile (PBI-C11-Y) has been well characterized using various techniques including UV-Vis, fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and atomic force microscopic (AFM) studies. Interestingly, the UV-Vis absorption properties of the soft-material are dependent on the pH of the medium. This PBI-conjugated amino acid appended gelator molecule contains a centrally located perylene bisimide moiety as well as an aromatic amino acid l-tyrosine at the side chains, which are extremely useful for interacting with the delocalized large π-surface of GO (graphene oxide) or RGO (reduced graphene oxide) to form a GO/RGO containing hybrid hydrogel. Graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide have been successfully incorporated into the nanofibrillar network structure of the PBI-C11-Y based gel to make nanohybrid systems. The I-V profile of the semiconducting photo-responsive soft-material of the PBI-C11-Y has been successfully tuned upon the incorporation of GO and RGO within the gel-based soft material. This PBI-C11-Y xerogel based structure shows photo-switching behaviour upon exposure to white light. The ON/OFF ratio of the PBI-C11-Y can be modulated upon the inclusion of GO and RGO within the hydrogel matrix. Furthermore, the OFF state stability of the PBI-C11-Y xerogel material has been increased upon the inclusion of RGO. Regulation of the photo-switching behaviour of the PBI-C11-Y based xerogel holds promise for making PBI-containing amino acid appended biomaterials with interesting properties in future.

A peptide based two component white light emitting system has been designed and developed on the basis of a co-assembly of a PDI containing peptide system as an acceptor and a stilbene containing peptide system as a donor in organic solvents.

The discovery of white light emitting materials is a highly emerging field. Stilbene moiety containing three donor molecules and perylene moiety containing three acceptor molecules have been selected for various donor− acceptor sets in Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET). An attempt has been made to correlate energy transfer efficiency with the emission of white light. It has been found that generally good energy transfer efficiency leads to significant white light emission, while poor energy transfer efficiency shows no significant emission of white light. Results of computational studies also match well with experimental results for measuring energy transfer in FRET. Results of this study are promising for making new white light emitting materials in the future based on the proper selection of donor−acceptor pair in FRET.