ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Using contrast matching to understand the role of hydrophobic additives in gels

Abstract: Functionalised dipeptides form gels by dilution of dipeptide solutions in organic solvents in water. We have recently observed that structural changes in micellar aggregates can be obtained by the addition of a co-solvent. Preliminary contrast matching SANS data on high pH solutions showed that the solvent is co-aggregating in the micelle to induce the change. We now need to understand if this behaviour is also reflected in the gel state or if the more hydrophobic solvent plays a different role when the system aggregates. This will be particularly useful for applications in drug storage and delivery, as the general assumption is that hydrophobic additives are encapsulated in the gel system. Here, we wish to use contrast matching approaches to match out the dipeptide in the gel state and understand if the solvent co-aggregates or is homogeneously dispersed during gelation.

Principal Investigator: Professor Dave Adams
Local Contact: Dr Lauren Matthews
Experimenter: Mr Hongbo Jiang
Experimenter: Miss Libby Marshall
Experimenter: Ms Simona Bianco
Experimenter: Professor Emily Draper
Local Contact: Dr James Doutch

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510039

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2510039

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor Dave Adams et al; (2025): Using contrast matching to understand the role of hydrophobic additives in gels, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510039

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.