Systematic Design of a Low-Molecular-Weight Gelator and Its Application in the Sensing and Retention of Residual Antibiotics

This work presents stepwise design and synthesis of a set of amide-based compounds, L1-L3, assisted by the crystal engineering approach. Out of the three compounds, L3 successfully acted as a low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) and formed a gel that was characterized using an array of spectroscopic, rheological, and microscopic imaging techniques. LMWG L3 was used for the nanomolar sensing of a few antibiotics while it also formed stable gel with them. The L3@antibiotic gel was found to hold an antibiotic effectively within its fibrous network, thus creating potential opportunities for the removal of residual antibiotics from contaminated sources.