The subject disclosure is directed to functionalized bile acids, preparation thereof, and usage thereof for therapeutic and material applications. In one embodiment, a method of generating functionalized bile acid materials can comprise directly activating a carboxylic acid of a bile acid compound using a coupling agent comprising an amide or ester compound, thereby generating an intermediate bile acid derivative material. The method can further comprise attaching a functional group material to the intermediate bile acid derivative material by reacting the functional group material and the intermediate bile acid derivative material, thereby generating a functionalized bile acid material.