Spontaneous self-assembly of glycolipid bilayer membranes in sugar-philic ionic liquids and formation of ionogels

Ether-containing ionic liquids are developed, which are capable of dissolving carbohydrates such as β-D-glucose, α-cyclodextrin, amylose, agarose, and a glycosylated protein, glucose oxidase. When glycolipids are dispersed in these sugar-philic ionic liquids, stable bilayer membranes are formed. They display reversible thermal transformation from fibrous assemblies to vesicles. Physical gelation of ionic liquids occurs by dissolving amide-group-enriched glycolipids, providing a first example of self-assembling ionogels. The ability to dissolve carbohydrates in ionic liquids and the formation of bilayer membranes, self-assembling gels will open new dimensions in ionic liquid research.