Self‐Assembly of an Amino Acid Derivative into an Antimicrobial Hydrogel Biomaterial

Abstract N‐ (4‐Nitrobenzoyl)‐Phe self‐assembled into a transparent supramolecular hydrogel, which displayed high fibroblast and keratinocyte cell viability. The compound showed a mild antimicrobial activity against E. coli both as a hydrogel and in solution. Single‐crystal XRD data revealed packing details, including protonation of the C‐terminus due to an apparent p K a shift, as confirmed by pH titrations. MicroRaman analysis revealed almost identical features between the gel and crystal states, although more disorder in the former. The hydrogel is thermoreversible and disassembles within a range of temperatures that can be fine‐tuned by experimental conditions, such as gelator concentration. At the minimum gelling concentration of 0.63 wt %, the hydrogel disassembles in a physiological temperature range of 39–42 °C, thus opening the way to its potential use as a biomaterial.