Folic acid supramolecular ionogels

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Materials science

Background:

• Folic acid (FA) is a low molecular weight gelator.
• Supramolecular gels can be formed in various solvents, including binary solvent systems and ionic liquids (ILs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the formation and properties of folic acid-based organogels and ionogels.
• To explore the influence of ionic liquids on the gelation behavior of folic acid.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of organogels in a water-DMSO binary solvent.
• Preparation of ionogels using [C2mim][Cl] and [C8mim][Cl] ionic liquids.
• Characterization of gel properties, including gelator concentration, gel strength (G0), and gelation temperature (Tgel).

Main Results:

• Folic acid self-assembled into fibrils via secondary forces (π-π stacking, H-bonding, hydrophobic interactions).
• Organogels transitioned from fragile to strong gels with increasing FA concentration.
• Ionogels exhibited significantly enhanced gel strength and homogeneity, particularly with [C2mim][Cl].
• Gelation temperature was tunable by FA concentration in organogels and showed a rise in ionogels.

Conclusions:

• Folic acid forms tunable supramolecular gels in both organo and ionogel systems.
• [C2mim][Cl] enhances the homogeneity and gel strength of folic acid ionogels.
• A phase diagram was established, illustrating the gelation domains based on Tgel and G0 versus gelator concentration.