Electroactive organic dye incorporating dipeptides in the formation of self-assembled nanofibrous hydrogels

In this study, we examined the self-assembly of four dipeptides conjugated with the electroactive dye naphthalenediimide (NDI). The presence of the NDI group at the N-terminus of Phe-Phe and Phe-Gly promoted the formation of one-dimensional (1-D) nanostructures and three-dimensional (3-D) colored hydrogels under both acidic and physiological conditions. The 1-D nanostructures of these gels were stabilized through intermolecular π-π interactions of the conjugated systems and extended hydrogen bonding of the dipeptide units.