Aqueous solutions containing two-, three- or four-tailed oligoglycines are investigated in view of potential environmental and biomedical applications. The oligoglycine molecules of this type are known to self-organize into supramolecular assemblies in aqueous media: hydrophilic nanoplatforms (tectomers), vesicles, etc. The innate reason for the onset of the self-assembly is the formation of a highly cooperative system of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. We present a combined theoretical and experimental procedure, including numerical modeling of the configuration and stability of the bulk nanoaggregates, studies on the distribution of the self-assemblies by size and charge in the solution bulk, examination of the properties of interfacial layers at the solution/air boundary and of drainage characteristics of microscopic foam films.
The aqueous solutions of this type of substances are smart complex fluids whose properties may be finely tuned by the change of pH in the system, and/or the addition of charged entities: low-molecular-mass electrolytes, or high- molecular-mass substances. The reported data also suggest that the self-assembled nanostructures of antennary olygoglycines could be used as indicators and captive agents for trace quantities of dangerous substances of biological origin (e.g. endotoxins) in aqueous media.
Acknowledgements:
Partial financial support of Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Youth and Science through Project BG 051PO001 - 3.3.06 – 0038 is gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank Mrs. Zhana Ivanova for technical assistance. The investigation is performed under the umbrella of COST Action MP 1106 “Smart and green interfaces- from single bubbles and drops to industrial, environmental and biomedical applications”.
