Tunable Organogelator from Alkyl-Polypeptide Diblock Prepared by Ring-Opening Polymerization.

Three alkyl-polypeptide hybrid amphiphiles were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of γ-(2-methoxyethoxy)esteryl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (L-EG[sub 1]G1u NCA) using alkylamine, i.e. C[sub 6]H[sub 13]NH[sub 2], C[sub 14]H[sub 29]NH[sub 2], and C[sub 16]H[sub 33]NH[sub 2], as initiators. As-prepared alkyl-poly-L-EG[sub 1]Glu hybrids were found to form clear organogels in several organic solvents at low concentration. FTIR and circular dichroism characterizations suggested that poly-L-EG[sub 1]Glu formed a predominantly β-sheet conformation, which accounted for the gelation. Transmission electron and atomic force microscopy characterizations revealed that these copolymers formed nanoribbon structures in THF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]