Ca and Ag orient low-molecular weight amphiphile self-assembly into "nano-fishnet" fibrillar hydrogels with unusual β-sheet-like raft domains.

Low-molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are small molecules ( < ∼1 kDa), which form self-assembled fibrillar network (SAFiN) hydrogels in water when triggered by an external stimulus. A great majority of SAFiN gels involve an entangled network of self-assembled fibers, in analogy to a polymer in a good solvent. In some rare cases, a combination of attractive van der Waals and repulsive electrostatic forces drives the formation of bundles with a suprafibrillar hexagonal order.

Shear recovery and temperature stability of Ca and Ag glycolipid fibrillar metallogels with unusual β-sheet-like domains.

Low-molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are small molecules ( < ∼1 kDa), which form self-assembled fibrillar network (SAFiN) hydrogels in water. A great majority of SAFiN gels are described by an entangled network of self-assembled fibers, in analogy to a polymer in a good solvent. Here, fibrillation of a biobased glycolipid bolaamphiphile is triggered by Ca or Ag ions which are added to its diluted micellar phase.

Single-molecule lamellar hydrogels from bolaform microbial glucolipids.

Lipid lamellar hydrogels are rare soft fluids composed of a phospholipid lamellar phase instead of fibrillar networks. The mechanical properties of these materials are controlled by defects, induced by local accumulation of a polymer or surfactant in a classical lipid bilayer. Herein we report a new class of lipid lamellar hydrogels composed of one single bolaform glycosylated lipid obtained by fermentation.

Bio-based glyco-bolaamphiphile forms a temperature-responsive hydrogel with tunable elastic properties.

A bio-based glycolipid bolaamphiphile (glyco-bolaamphiphile) has recently been produced (Van Renterghem et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng.