Metallogels from Glycolipid Biosurfactant
Abstract
Low molecular weight (LMW) molecules of biological origin like microbial glycolipid biosurfactants can self-assemble in water, with tunable structure by a soft chemistry approach (pH, temperature, ionic strength). The unique molecular structure of microbial glycolipids give possible access to a wide variety of aqueous self-assembled structures, although highly unpredictable beforehand. The glycolipid presented here consists in a glucose group linked to a C18:1-cis fatty acid (G-C18:1) and produced by the fermentation of S. bombicola ΔugtB1. Due to the carboxylic group of the fatty acid, the supramolecular self-assembly is pH dependent. In the pH range 5 – 7, G-C18:1 forms vesicles, while above pH 7, it forms a micellar phase. Adding a wide range of metal salts (ion radius ascending order : Al3+, Fe3+, Ni2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Fe2+, Cr2+, Mn2+, Au3+, Ca2+, Ag+, Sr2+ and Ba2+), the vesicle phase generally precipitates. Metal salts with complex speciation (Al3+, Cu2+, Co2+, Fe2+) added to the micellar phase drive the formation of wormlike gels, often observed for surfactants in water. On the contrary, free metal ions (Cr2+, Mn2+, Ca2+ and Ag+) added to the same micellar phase unexpectedly drives the formation of hydrogels with fibrillar structure, generally observed for complex amphiphiles (peptides, peptide-derivatives) but not for surfactants. Oscillatory rheology shows that the elastic properties vary between few tens of Pa up to 5 kPa for a given glucolipid concentration (3 wt%). This work hence shows the first example of preparing metallogels from biological surfactants.
Fichier principal
Manuscript.pdf (1.96 Mo)
Télécharger le fichier
Supporting Information.pdf (1017.45 Ko)
Télécharger le fichier
Origin | Files produced by the author(s) |
---|