posted on 2024-05-23, 20:40authored byJeanette N. Loos, Mohammad T. Chaudhry, Zongzhe Li, Mark J. MacLachlan
A significant drawback of gels formed from low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) is their typically poor mechanical stability due to the weak non-covalent interactions responsible for forming the gel. Here, we present a rare example of bicomponent gels prepared from LMWGs that show excellent mechanical stability even at <0.7 wt.% gelator loading. The gels can be moulded into any desired shape, without creep deformation. Dynamic diffusion of a guest, like β-carotene, from a spiked gel into its submerged solvent environment is explored through UV–vis spectrophotometry and NMR techniques, showing that the integrity of the gel network remains in the presence of the guest.
Funding
This work was supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation [JELF Grant 34098, 38963]; Canada Research Chairs [Canada Research Chairs]; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [Discovery Grant, CREATE NanoMat Grant].