Fmoc‐Diphenylalanine Self Assembles to a Hydrogel via a Novel Architecture Based on π–π Interlocked β‐Sheets

The self assembly of peptide hydrogelators that carry aromatic substituents can be modeled by a novel nanocylindrical architecture. The proposed model suggests that the nanocylinders are formed by anti-parallel β-sheets interlocked by the π-stacking interactions of fluorenyl groups and phenyl rings. This explanation is consistent with the structures observed in TEM and the data obtained by a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2089/2008/c1221_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any…