Supramolecular Self-Assembly Process during Gelation and Crystallization of Cefradine

In recent years, low-molecular-weight assemblies have emerged as remarkable building blocks of supramolecular structures. To fully understand the molecular assembly mechanism of small organic molecules, cefradine was used as a model compound to investigate the supramolecular self-assembly process and its results using microscopy, vibrational and circular dichroism spectroscopies, conformation and dynamics studies, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray crystallography. It was found that cefradine would undergo the spontaneous transition to either gels or crystals in different solvents, and then, crystals would also appear after gelation. Combined with the simulation results, the direction and mechanism of cefradine molecule self-assembly were revealed and discussed.