Nano-Structured Gel\nMaterials for Environmental Remediation\nand Biomedical Applications

The application of soft materials, including gels, in\ndifferent\nmaterial and biological chemistry domains has gained momentum in the\npast few years. Environmental remediation, drug resistance, and delivery\nare significant concerns that are being investigated widely nowadays.\nIn this work, we report the multifunctionality of a gelator molecule <b>A2</b> (5,5′-((6-(phenylamino)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyl)bis(azanediyl))diisophthalic\nacid) in the gel state. The gelator molecule <b>A2</b> was used\nto fabricate organogel and two metallogels using copper perchlorate\nand a Ru-based anticancer drug molecule, respectively. The organogel\nand Cu-metallogel show efficient adsorption capabilities of iodine\nin the vapor and solution phases. These iodine-loaded gel composites\nwere utilized as efficient antibacterial agents against Escherichia coli and Helicobacter\npylori (I10) bacterial strains. Additionally, owing\nto the pH-responsive nature of the gel material, the Ru-based anticancer\ndrug-loaded metallogel, <b>Ru-A2</b>, was fabricated, and its\nactivity in pH-responsive drug delivery to the cancerous cells was\nalso investigated.