Issue 4, 2013

Interfacing biodegradable molecular hydrogels with liquid crystals

Abstract

A self-assembled Fmoc-peptide hydrogel has been interfaced with a liquid crystal (LC) display to give an optical sensor for enzyme activity. An Fmoc-TL-OMe hydrogel was selected as it can be formed in situ by enzyme-mediated assembly with thermolysin, and undergoes enzyme-mediated diassembly upon subtilisin addition. This enzyme-responsive hydrogel provides a semi-rigid, highly hydrated and biocompatible environment that also holds the LC display in place. A dual layer design was developed, where a phospholipid-loaded upper gel layer was separated from the LC display by a phospholipid free lower layer. Subtilisin (0.15 μM) digested both layers to give a gel-to-sol transition after several hours that liberated the phospholipid and produced a light-to-dark optical change in the LC display. The optical response was dependent upon the gel-to-sol transition; elastase or common components of serum did not disassemble the Fmoc-TL-OMe hydrogel and did not give an optical response.

Graphical abstract: Interfacing biodegradable molecular hydrogels with liquid crystals

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Sep 2012
Accepted
12 Nov 2012
First published
26 Nov 2012

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 1188-1193

Interfacing biodegradable molecular hydrogels with liquid crystals

I. Lin, L. S. Birchall, N. Hodson, R. V. Ulijn and S. J. Webb, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 1188 DOI: 10.1039/C2SM27160E

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