Supramolecular Gels Based on Amino Acids

Supramolecular hydrogels based on fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (FMOC) – functionalized amino acids are a new class of soft materials widely used in biomedical field due to their inherent biocompatible and biodegradable properties. FMOC-Lys(FMOC)-OH, a positively charged amino-acid is considered a weak antimicrobial agent. In the present study the effect of incorporation into the supramolecular gels of FMOC-Lys(FMOC)-OH structure of a colloidal and ionic silver mixture upon their antimicrobial activity, it is investigated. The obtained structures were characterized by using the Fourier-Transform Infrared, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, dynamic light scattering, and scanning electron microscopy.