Controlling supramolecular growth at solid surfaces is of great importance to expand the scope of supramolecular materials. A dendritic benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide peptide conjugate is described in which assembly can be triggered by a pH jump. Stopped-flow kinetics and mathematical modeling provide a quantitative understanding of the nucleation, elongation, and fragmentation behavior in solution. To assemble the molecule at a solid-liquid interface, we use proton diffusion from the bulk. The latter needs to be slower than the lag phase of nucleation to progressively grow a hydrogel outwards from the surface. Our method of surface-assisted self-assembly is generally applicable to other gelators, and can be used to create structured supramolecular materials.
In this review, we show that these interactions are of importance even at the nanoscale. Mechanical chiral resolution is promising in the field of soft matter and for industry.
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