Peculiarities of some Fmoc-dipeptides gelation in DMSO/water medium

The possibility of the gels formation with a high-water content of 90% v/v using Fmoc-dipeptides without mechanical actions or pH-switching was demonstrated. For the first time, the formation of a colloid gel based on Fmoc-LL dipeptide was discovered. The effect of side substituents in the amino acid residues of Fmoc-dipeptides in the range of GG, AA, LL, and FF on their ability to form gels in DMSO/water systems was thoroughly studied. Non-linear dependence of gel formation kinetics in dipeptide/DMSO/water systems, gel properties, and supramolecular organization in xerogels on the size of side substituents was observed. The results obtained give a new insight into the mechanism of gelation with low-molecular-weight gelators based on Fmoc-dipeptides and may be useful for the preparation of new supramolecular or colloidal gels.