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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2012
By systematically altering the number and position of phenylalanine andcarboxylate groups on a series of hydrogelators containing a naphthalenemotif, we evaluated the correlation of molecular structures, self-assembly,and the rheological properties of the hydrogels. The storage moduli of thehydrogels decrease with the increase of the number of phenylalanine or withthe insertion of a cysteine residue, and the effect of the carboxylic groupon the rheological properties depends on the backbone of the hydrogelators.Transmission electron microscopy shows that these hydrogelatorsself-assemble in water to form nanofibers and result in threedimensionalnetworks. Circular dichroism experiment indicates the hydrogelatorsself-assemble to form β-sheet-like structure within the nanofibers. Thiswork suggests that control of the synergy of hydrogen bonding andaromatic-aromatic interactions may offer a feasible way to modulate therheological properties of molecular hydrogels consisting of smallmolecules.