Novel organogelators based on pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid derivatives and their mesomorphic behaviors

A series of new low molecular organogelators (LMOGs) with thermotropic mesophase were synthesized via the reaction of 3,6-dimethyl-pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylic acid with p-alkoxyl anilines. These compounds readily formed stable gels in a variety of organic solvents and their self-assembly behavior, structure–property relationship were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultra-violet–visible spectroscopy (UV). The results showed a combination of intra-hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking and van der Waals interaction resulted in the aggregation of the organogelators to form three-dimension fibrous networks. The gels formed were multi-responsive to environmental stimuli, such as temperature, fluorinion, and shear stress. More importantly, all the organogelators exhibited thermotropic hexagonal column mesophase as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and variable temperature XRD studies. A control compound was synthesized and its gelling ability was also checked.     

Boron Effect on Sugar-Based Organogelators

The reaction of several alkylglucosides with phenyl boronic acid permitted easy access to a series of alkylglucoside phenyl boronate derivatives. This type of compound has structures similar to those of known benzylidene glucoside organogelators except for the presence of a boronate function in place of the acetal one. Low to very low concentrations of these amphiphilic molecules produced gelation of several organic solvents. The rheological properties of the corresponding soft materials characterized them as elastic solids. They were further characterized by SEM to obtain more information on their morphologies and by SAXS to determine the type of self-assembly involved within the gels. The sensitivity of the boronate function towards hydrolysis was also investigated. We demonstrated that a small amount of water (5 % v/v) was sufficient to disrupt the organogels leading to the original alkylglucoside and phenyl boronic acid; an important difference with the stable benzylidene-based organogelators. Such water-sensitive boronated organogelators could be suitable substances for the preparation of smart soft material for topical drug delivery.     

Organogelators based on the norbornane scaffold

Using the rigid norbornane scaffold, a series of low-molecular-weight organogelators has been synthesised and evaluated. Three separate compounds (16, 19 and 20) were identified as organogelators in three aromatic organic solvents (PhMe, anisole and o-xylene). The formation of fibrillar assemblies at nanometre level was confirmed using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

Organogel formation by coaggregation of adaptable amidocarbamates and their tetraamide analogues

Mixtures of derivatives of Hanabusa's bolaamphiphilic amidocarbamates containing two Z-valinyl subunits and aliphatic spacers that range from ethylenic to octamethylenic are able to form organogels. A coassembly of them is observed in their acetonitrile and toluene gels; namely, the concentration of a given compound at which a gel is formed is lowered by the presence of equimolar quantities of any other compound in the series. The aggregates were studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and the results can be rationalized if the gel fibers are formed by supramolecular copolymers. NMR studies reveal that in solution these molecules adopt folded conformations containing intramolecular H-bonds, but IR studies indicate that these are not present in their aggregates. Additionally, analogues of the amidocarbamates obtained by replacement of the carbamate functionality by amide have been shown to behave in a similar way. For these molecules it can be shown that the central aliphatic subunit is not completely extended in the conformations present in the aggregates according to IR and WAXD studies. The tetraamide-type compounds described are robust organogelators that form gels in a variety of organic solvents with good thermostability and present improved feasibility for the synthesis of envisaged functional organogelators.     

Low‐molecular‐weight organogelators as functional materials for oil spill remediation

Oil spills from tankers are one of the major types of man‐made disasters that impact the marine environment, and they have been shown to have long‐lasting effects. On prevention of the spread of oil through rapid cleanup of spills, low‐molecular‐weight organogelators have received much attention because of their ability to tune their properties through rational design. In this mini‐review, I present a brief summary of studies focused on the remediation of oil spills via a chemical method, which involves the use of low‐molecular‐weight organogelators that form organogels with fuel oils or organic solvents. Moreover, recent attempts to create new improved molecular organogels composed of commercially available simple organogelators via a mixing induced enhancement method for solidifying oil are also discussed. In addition, polymer organogelators for oil spills are discussed in relation to low‐molecular weight gelators. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,self-assembly and optical properties of novel fluorescent alkoxy-substituted fluoroaryl 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole organogelator

Aromatic nucleophilic substitution (S_NAr) reactions have been known to be regioselective to the para position on a variety of substituted perfluorobenzenes. In the current study, a series of fluoroaryl 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives substituted with different para terminal ethers were synthesized using S_NAr chemistry to afford fluorescent and thermally reversible low molecular weight organogelators (LMWOs). S_NAr was used to synthesize these highly fluorinated organogelators in high purity and good yields starting from pentafluorobenzoic acid and 4′-hydroxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile. These fluorinated 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, and ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy. The photophysical properties of those organogelators were described. Both UV–visible absorption and fluorescence spectral profiles displayed a solvatochromic and solvatofluorochromic properties. The absorption maxima for the developed organogelators were monitored in the range of 260–289 nm, whereas the emission maxima were monitored in the range of 278–305 nm. The best gelation properties were monitored for the hexyloxy-substituted 2-(biphenylyl)-5-(perflurophenyl)-1, 3, 4-oxadiazole gelator in different solvents with critical gel concentrations in the range of 1.86–5.07 mM. The self-assembly process was monitored to occur via van der Waals forces and π-π stacks to result in gelation of solvents. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) demonstrated nanofiber-like structures (350–550 nm). The thermal stability of the hexyloxy-substituted organogel was monitored at 48 °C. Both cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of the produced fluoroaryl 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives were explored to verify their potential use for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and bioimaging.     

Supramolecular organogelators based on Janus type AT nucleosides

J-AT nucleoside-based organogelators 1a and 1b were designed and synthesized. They were endowed with unparalleled superiority to natural nucleobase analogues 2–6 to gelate aromatic solvents due to their excellent self-assembly properties. The J-AT nucleoside-based organogelators showed a specific self-complementary base pair recognition characteristic. The gel stabilities of 1a and 1b were drastically influenced by adenine analogue 2, hardly affected by thymine analogue 3, uracil analogue 4, cytosine analogue 5, and mildly interrupted by guanine analogue 6.     

A family of strong low-molecular-weight organogelators based on aminoacid derivatives

A new family of potent aminoacid-type organogelators obtained via an easy and unexpensive way is described. We demonstrated that structural variations onto the side chains of the aminoacid derivatives allowed modulations of the gelation properties. The organogelators bearing a benzyl or an isopropyl group (compounds 1e, 2a, and 2c) are able to provide gelation of apolar solvents at very low concentration (0.2 wt %) and to form thermostable gels.     

New gemini organogelators linked by oxalyl amide: organogel formation and their thermal stabilities

New gemini organogelators linked by an oxalyl amide that can be easily, effectively, and cheaply synthesized have good organogelation abilities and their cyclohexane gels have superior thermal stabilities; especially 7 possessing the branched alkyl ester can gel at 0.7 wt% cyclohexane even at 70°C.     

Organogelation by polymer organogelators with a L-lysine derivative: formation of a three-dimensional network consisting of supramolecular and conventional polymers

Polymer compounds consisting of a L-lysine derivative and conventional polymers, such as poly(ethylene glycol), polycarbonate, polyesters, and poly(alkylene), have been synthesized and their organogelation properties examined in various solvents. These polymer compounds function as good organogelators that form organogels in many organic solvents and oils. The organogelation ability is almost independent of the polymer backbone. Observation by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) demonstrates that the polymer organogelators form a supramolecular polymer with a diameter of several tens of nanometers and create a three-dimensional network in organogels. FT-IR spectroscopic analysis shows that the supramolecular polymer is mainly formed by the self-assembly of L-lysine segments through hydrogen-bonding and van der Waals interactions. Furthermore, the organogels formed by the polymer organogelators have a lower gel-sol temperature and higher gel strength than those of a low-molecular-weight model organogelator.     

Supramolecular assemblies of organogelators featuring benzimidazole and long-chain pyridine dicarboxyamide

Two organogelators, CO-01 and CO-03 , featuring benzimidazole and long-chain pyridine carboxyamide groups were prepared and their physical properties were fully explored. CO-01 and CO-03 are capable of transforming various organic solvents to organogels. The morphologic investigations of these organogels have shown that the supramolecular assemblies, in the forms of fibers and spheres, are readily generated from the aggregates of CO-01 and CO-03 . The sol–gel interconversion can be readily achieved by tuning the gelator concentration and temperature. By manipulating the redox state of anthraquinone group in CO-03 , the gel–sol transition for the organogels of CO-03 can be reversibly tuned by either chemical or electrochemical oxidation/reduction reactions. The presence of polarized imidazole and amide N–H groups allows anion-induced gel collapse. The accompanying colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent responses of gels CO-01 and CO-03 to F⁻ and CN⁻ render these organogelators being sensitive and selective anion probes.     

Cyclobutane-based peptides/terpyridine conjugates: Their use in metal catalysis and as functional organogelators

Two new conjugates, hcptpyDP and hcptpyTP, of a terpyridine derivative incorporating artificial peptide moieties, have been synthesized and their use in the preparation of metal catalysts and organogelators has been investigated. Ru(II) complexes derived from these ligands showed electrochemical behavior and activity as catalysts in the epoxidation of olefins similar to that of Beller's catalyst. As organogelators, these conjugates were able to gelate a variety of solvents, from toluene to methanol, with satisfactory mgc (minimum gelation concentration) values. The presence of 4′-(4-carboxy)phenylterpyridine (hcptpy) moiety allows tuning the gelling properties and also influences the supramolecular self-assembling mode to produce chiral aggregates with respect to parent peptides DP and TP. In the case of the conjugates, π?π interactions provided by the aromatic moieties cooperate with inter-molecular hydrogen bonding between NH and CO in the amide groups. Further properties of peptide/terpyridine conjugates are under investigation in view of future applications.     

The poor solubility of ureidopyrimidone can be used to form gels of low molecular weight N-alkyl urea oligomers in organic solvents

A synthesis strategy for low molecular weight organogelators using the ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) group is reported. The prepared gelators showed robust thermal reversible gelation abilities in various solvents, including dimethyl sulfoxide. The morphology of the dried gels was determined using scanning electron microscopy, revealing a macroscopic porous structure of the gels. Rheology was performed to determine storage (G′) and loss modulus (G″) confirming network gel structures.     

Synthesis,characterization and self-assembly of novel fluorescent alkoxy-substituted 1, 4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazoles organogelators

Novel organogelators based on fluorescent alkoxy-substituted 1,4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazoles are reported. The findings monitored in the current study promoted the development of inventive compacted supramolecular architectures generated by self-assembly of the prepared triazole-based organogelators. The synthesis, characterization and gelation properties of the current novel alkoxy-substituted 1,4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazole arms were described. The synthesis procedures were accomplished by using Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) of alkoxy-substituted aryl azide with aryl bearing terminal alkyne subtituents and alkoxy chains of different lengths. The alkoxy-substituted of 1, 4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazole derivatives bearing different alkoxy chains were characterized by FTIR, ¹H/¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis. The 1, 4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazoles with longer alkoxy terminal groups demonstrated improved gelation properties compared to those with shorter alkoxy terminals. The morphologies of the self-assembled alkoxy-substituted 1, 4-diarylated 1, 2, 3-triazoles were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which demonstrated arrangements of highly ordered nanofibers, forced by π-stacks and van der Waals interactions. The antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of the newly synthesized triazoles was investigated to verify the potential use of the present triazole gelators for a variety of applications, such as drug delivery.     

Use of a self-assembling organogel as a reverse template in the preparation of imprinted porous polymer films

The concept of reverse templating of an organogel to form imprinted porous divinylbenzene polymer films with submicrometer channels is demonstrated. The organogel comprising a 1:1 molar ratio of two organogelators, that is, bis(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate and 4-chlorophenol, was formed in divinylbenzene. The gel was cast as a thin film before UV polymerization of the solvent, and the organogelators were later removed by simple washing with water and isooctane. The integrity of the fiber bundles of the organogel was preserved during polymerization, and an exact hollow replica was obtained after the organogelators were leached away. It is easily possible to imprint gel fiber bundle structures into polymeric films through this technique. The gel can also be formed on macroporous substrates to yield supported thin porous polymeric films. With the incorporation of functional nanoparticles in AOT inverse micelles and hence the organogel, nanoparticle-containing porous polymer films exhibiting luminescence or magnetic properties are envisioned.     

A family of low-molecular-weight organogelators based on N,N-diacyl-l-lysine: effect of alkyl chains on their organogelation behaviour

A family of low-molecular-weight organogelators based on N^α,N^?-diacyl-l-lysine was synthesized by acylation of N^?-dodecyl-l-lysine with acyl chlorides through the one-pot synthetic procedure and their organogelation properties were examined. These compounds functioned as an organogelator; especially, l-lysine derivatives possessing the branched alkyl groups are a better organogelation property. The NMR and IR studies demonstrate that the organogelation occurred through hydrogen bonding interactions between the amide groups and between the carboxy groups.     

Poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐based polymer organogelators with L‐lysine derivatives as a organogelation‐causing segment

New poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐based polymer organogelators with L ‐lysine derivatives were synthesized on the basis of synthetically simple procedure, and their organogelation abilities were investigated. These polymer organogelators have a good organogelation ability and form organogels in many organic solvents. In the organogels, polymer gelators constructed a mesoporous structure with a pore size of about 1 μm formed by entanglement of the self‐assembled nanofibers. The L ‐lysine derivatives in the polymer gelators functioned as a gelation‐causing segment and the organogelation was induced by self‐assembly of the L ‐lysine segments through a hydrogen bonding interaction. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3817–3824, 2006     

From Nongelating to Gelating: Synthesis and Structural Self‐Assembling Property Relationships of a Homologous Series of Oligo(amide–triazole)s

A homologous series of oligo(amide–triazole)s (OAT) [ OAT‐CO₂H‐2 n and OAT‐COPrg‐(2 n +1) ] with an increasing number of primary amide (CONH) and triazole hydrogen‐bonding functionalities was prepared by an iterative synthetic procedure. It was found that their self‐assembly and thermoreversible gelation strength had a strong correlation to the number of hydrogen‐bonding moieties in the oligomers. There also existed a threshold value of the number of CONH units, above which all the oligomers became organogelators. Hence, oligomers with ≤4 CONH units are devoid of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and also non‐organogelating, whereas those that contain >4 CONH units show intermolecular association and organogelating properties. For the organogelators, the T_gel value increases monotonically with increasing number of CONH units. On the basis of FTIR measurements, both the CONH and triazole C? H groups were involved in the hydrogen‐bonding process. A mixed xerogel that consisted of a 1:1 weight ratio of two oligomers of different lengths ( OAT‐CO₂H‐6 and OAT‐CO₂H‐12 ) was found to show microphase segregation according to differential scanning calorimetry, thus indicating that oligomers that bear a different number of hydrogen‐bonding units exhibited self‐sorting to maximize the extent of intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the xerogel state.     

赖氨酸环二肽有机凝胶因子的合成及其选择性凝胶化与染料吸附

在利用半胱氨酸修饰赖氨酸环二肽制备对称性四肽的过程中, 通过两种脱除Trt(三苯甲基)的方法分别得到含有Fmoc(芴甲氧羰基)的非环与大环四肽产物, 其结构得到了核磁、质谱、红外、元素分析等证实。 它们能使多种有机溶剂凝胶化, 且具有热可逆性, 由扫描电子显微镜(SEM)可观察到凝胶内部均为三维网络结构。 在体积分数低至0.1%的含氯有机溶剂/水两相体系中, 它们依然可以进行选择性凝胶化。 此外, 该有机凝胶干胶由于内部微纳米网络结构以及Fmoc基团的存在, 可以直接从水溶液中吸收多种染料分子, 且吸附能力随温度的升高而提高。