Orthogonality between cellulose nanocrystals and a low-molecular weight gelator

Abstract

The development of multicomponent hydrogels has gained a lot of attention in the field of soft matter, as precise tuning of the chemical nature and colloidal properties of each component brings mechanical and functional benefits compared to one-component gels. Within the field, orthogonality between a self-assembled low-molecular weight gelator (LMWG) and a colloid is a domain that has received little attention. In this study, orthogonal LMWG-colloid hydrogels were developed with the additional constraint of sustainability: a bolaamphiphile glycolipid (G-C18:1) is selected as LMWG while cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as colloid. These compounds are chosen for their dual role. G-C18:1 is a LMWG but it can also be used, at lower concentrations, as surface stabilizer for CNCs and tune its aggregative properties. On the other hand, tuning surface properties of CNCs drives its bulk behavior: uncharged CNCs locally aggregate and act as reinforcing agent for the LMWG gel, while negatively-charged CNCs, cross-linked with Ca 2+ , naturally form a hydrogel, which can interpenetrate with the LMWG network. By means of rheometry, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheo-SAXS, it is shown here how the aggregative behavior of CNCs enhances the mechanical properties of G-C18:1 hydrogels, while G-C18:1 imparts pH and temperature responsiveness to CNC hydrogels. An interesting field of research in soft matter science is the development of orthogonal hydrogels containing cellulose and LMWGs, although, to the best of our knowledge, there are no existing reports. Since cellulose is among the most extensively studied macromolecules in the field of soft matter, particularly for biomedical applications, 22,23 developing and studying the properties of orthogonal hydrogels containing CNCs and a LMWG represents an intriguing avenue for research, and this for two reasons. First of all, CNCs are bio-based nanoparticles, relevant for the development of sustainable nanoscale science and engineering. Secondly, the surface chemistry of CNCs can be controlled in such a way to tune their aggregation and dispersion properties, making them interesting either as reinforcements in hydrogels, 24,25 or as hydrogel scaffold themselves. 26,27 These aspects were never explored in the context of orthogonal hydrogels. In this work, we then study orthogonality in fully bio-based hydrogels composed of a single glucose lipid LMWG (G-C18:1) and CNCs. G-C18:1 is selected for its multiphasic behavior in water at room temperature 28 and linked to its unique surfactant-lipid-gelator nature, 28,29 tuned by pH and/or type of ion. Below neutral pH and at concentrations under 5 wt%, G-C18:1 forms vesicles, displaying a lipid-like behavior. At pH above neutrality, it assembles into micelles, thus exhibiting a surfactant behavior. 30,31 When Ca 2+ is added to its micellar phase, 32,33 G-C18:1 forms fiber gels 30 (Figure 1). In particular, we focused on orthogonal G-C18:1/CNC hydrogels, in which CNCs either assembled into hydrogels (negatively-charged and cross-linked by calcium ions, referred to as SCNCs, Figure 1) or behaved as reinforcing agents (uncharged CNCs prepared via HCl hydrolysis, referred to as CNC$α$, and neutral surface stabilized by G-C18:1, 34 Figure 1). These two types of CNCs exhibit distinct roles in the hydrogel system: SCNCs actively participate in the formation of a percolated network, while CNC$α$ are used to reinforce the hydrogel matrix physically. Specific attention is paid to the impact of the assembled form of CNCs to the elastic properties of the LMWG hydrogel as well as how the responsivity to pH and temperature of the LMWG affect the elastic properties of CNC hydrogels. 33