Synthesis and gelation behaviors of five new dimeric cholesteryl derivatives

Five new diacid amides of di-cholesteryl L-glycinates were designed and prepared.The compounds with linkers containing 0,1, 2,3,or 4 methylene units are denoted as 1,2,3,4,and 5,respectively.Their gelation behaviors in 25 solvents were tested as novel low-molecular-mass organic gelators(LMOGs).It was shown that the length of the linker connecting the two-cholesteryl residues in a gelator plays a crucial role in the gelation behavior of the compound.1 gels 11 of the 25 solvents tested at a concentration lowe...     

Blending Gelators to Tune Gel Structure and Probe Anion‐Induced Disassembly

Blending different low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) provides a convenient route to tune the properties of a gel and incorporate functionalities such as fluorescence. Blending a series of gelators having a common bis‐urea motif, and functionalised with different amino acid‐derived end‐groups and differing length alkylene spacers is reported. Fluorescent gelators incorporating 1‐ and 2‐pyrenyl moieties provide a probe of the mixed systems alongside structural and morphological data from powder diffraction and electron microscopy. Characterisation of the individual gelators reveals that although the expected α‐urea tape motif is preserved, there is considerable variation in the gelation properties, molecular packing, fibre morphology and rheological behaviour. Mixing of the gelators revealed examples in which: 1) the gels formed separate, orthogonal networks maintaining their own packing and morphology, 2) the gels blended together into a single network, either adopting the packing and morphology of one gelator, or 3) a new structure not seen for either of the gelators individually was created. The strong binding of the urea functionalities to anions was exploited as a means of breaking down the gel structure, and the use of fluorescent gel blends provides new insights into anion‐mediated gel dissolution.     

Novel dimeric cholesteryl-based A(LS)2 low-molecular-mass gelators with a benzene ring in the linker

Three novel dimeric cholesteryl-based A(LS)(2) low-molecular-mass organic gelators (LMOGs) with phthaloyl, isophthaloyl, or terephthaloyl moieties in the linkers were designed and prepared. According to the linker structures, the compounds are denoted as 1 (o-), 2 (m-), and 3 (p-), respectively. Gelation tests revealed that the difference of relative positions of two cholesterol moieties in the benzene ring can produce a dramatic change in the gelation behaviors of the compounds. Importantly, 2 and 3 are more efficient gelators than 1, and their self-assembly behaviors are also very different from each other as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. Very interestingly, 2 gels xylene spontaneously at room temperature, and the sol-gel phase transition of the system is mechanically controllable. FTIR and (1)H NMR spectroscopy studies revealed that hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions between the molecules of the gelators play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the gels. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that in the gel of 2/benzene, 2 aggregated into a layered structure with an interlayer distance of 3.54 nm, which is just the length of 2.     

Multiple‐Stimulus‐Responsive Supramolecular Gels of Two Components and Dual Chiroptical Switches

A new class of L ‐glutamic gelators, LG₁₂(CH₂)_nCOOH, containing different lengths of methylene spacer were synthesized. It was found that the gelation ability of these compounds themselves was very weak. However, when another compound, p‐xylylenediamine (XEA), was introduced, the gelation ability was improved greatly. In particular, LG₁₂(CH₂)₁₀COOH showed super‐gelation ability in the presence of XEA, which could immobilize almost all of the solvents except methanol. Moreover, the formed supramolecular gels even could be molded. Interestingly, some supramolecular gels of LG₁₂(CH₂)_nCOOH and XEA could respond to multiple stimuli, such as heating, shaking, sonication, and acid/base. The studies of CD spectra suggested that the supramolecular chirality induced by self‐assembled chiral gelator molecules in gels could be tuned by the length of methylene spacer. In addition, the supramolecular chirality could be regulated as on/off by heating–cooling or external NH₃/HCl. This would facilitate the development of dual chiroptical switches by temperature and acid/base.     

Multiple‐Stimulus‐Responsive Supramolecular Gels and Regulation of Chiral Twists: The Effect of Spacer Length

A new class of homologous gelators, LG₁₂‐(CH₂)_n‐BSA, composed of bipyridinyl groups, L ‐glutamic moieties having double dodecyl chains, and linked alkyl spacers with different lengths were synthesized. It was found that these gelators could immobilize medium‐polarity solvents readily and the behaviors of these gels showed a dependence on the spacer length. Of all the gels, the LG₁₂‐(CH₂)₁₁‐BSA gels exhibited self‐healing property and multiple‐stimulus responsibility, such as heating, shaking, and sonication. The investigation of CD spectra indicated that the supramolecular chirality, which was attributed to the chiral transfer from the chiral center to the assemblies, was also closely related to the length of methylene spacers. The longer the alkyl spacers, the weaker the transmitted supramolecular chirality. Only LG₁₂‐(CH₂)₁‐BSA gelators, which had the shortest spacers, formed right‐handed nanoscale chiral twists owing to crowded hydrogen bonding interactions. Moreover, the high‐polarity solvent DMF was found to be able to regulate the chiral twist as well as its pitch length readily.     

光响应偶氮苯类小分子凝胶因子的合成及性能

合成了3个系列各6类的偶氮苯衍生物1a~6a, 1b~6b和1c~6c. 凝胶性能测试结果表明, 这些化合物均能在多种极性或非极性有机溶剂中形成凝胶. 运用扫描电子显微镜和核磁共振波谱仪对代表性化合物4b形成的凝胶结构和成胶驱动力进行了分析. 化合物4a~4c形成的凝胶在紫外光和可见光照射下, 能够发生凝胶-溶胶的相互转化. 计算了溶剂和凝胶因子的梯氏参数, 利用梯氏三角图分析了凝胶测试结果, 发现凝胶因子在溶剂中的4种行为(溶液、 半凝胶、 凝胶和沉淀)分别分布在三角图的不同区域; 在凝胶区域, 溶剂与凝胶因子之间的距离反映了凝胶的热稳定性, 距离越远表示凝胶的热稳定性越好.     

基于胆固醇的新型小分子胶凝剂的合成与胶凝行为

设计合成了3种以丙二胺为连接臂(L)、苯环为A单元的A(LS)2型双胆固醇(S)类小分子胶凝剂: 化合物1(邻位), 化合物2(间位)和化合物3(对位), 考察了其在30种溶剂中的胶凝行为. 结果表明, 苯环取代位置的不同对化合物的胶凝性质有决定性影响. 就胶凝溶剂的数量来讲, 对位取代的化合物3的胶凝能力明显高于邻位和间位取代的化合物1和2. 此外, 化合物2和3可以形成5个室温胶凝体系, 且化合物3/二甲苯凝胶透明、柔韧,以至于可以形成超分子薄膜. 傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱和核磁共振氢谱(¹H NMR)研究表明, 胶凝剂分子之间的氢键和π-π堆积作用在凝胶形成过程中发挥了一定的作用. X射线衍射(XRD)研究表明在化合物1/苯凝胶中, 胶凝剂分子聚集为六方堆积结构, 进而形成贯穿整个凝胶体系的网络结构.     

基于豆甾醇衍生物的超分子凝胶的合成与性能

设计合成出两种含有不同结构单元的新型豆甾醇衍生物凝胶因子（化合物1和2）。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）和紫外-可见光谱（UV-Vis）等技术手段对形成凝胶的结构和性能进行研究。结果表明,两种凝胶因子可分别在二甲基亚砜及甲醇溶剂中形成稳定的凝胶。其中化合物1还可在二甲基亚砜/水混合溶液体积比分别为9∶1、8∶2和7∶3中形成稳定的凝胶。当化合物1和2在DMSO溶剂中以质量浓度均为12 mg/mL形成凝胶时,二者的凝胶-溶胶相转变温度（T_gel）分别为51和46 ℃,表明随着凝胶因子中甾体结构单元的增加,其形成凝胶的热稳定性显著下降。在此基础上,以化合物1制备的凝胶为载体,通过紫外-可见光谱对罗丹明B、亚甲基蓝和阿霉素的包封与释放应用进行了研究。结果表明,制备的凝胶可以作为药物载体,并在240 min时在水中达到的最大释放值为84％。本文为豆甾醇衍生物凝胶的制备,及将其作为药物载体在药物输送领域的应用提供了有益的思路。     

Amino acid derivatives of cholesterol as "latent" organogelators with hydrogen chloride as a protonation reagent

A series of low molecular weight organic gelator (LMOG) gel systems sensitive to alkaline/acidic stimuli was established by employing amino acid derivatives of cholesterol as "latent" gelators, which are cholesteryl glycinate (1), cholesteryl L-alaninate, cholesteryl D-alaninate, cholesteryl L-phenyl alaninate, and cholesteryl D-phenyl alaninate. The hydrochloric salts are denoted as 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. For the 18 solvents tested, one proved to be a weak gelator and gels only two of the solvents. Its gelation ability, however, was greatly improved by bubbling HCl gas, which was produced by reaction of concentrated sulfuric acid with NaCl, through its solution owing to protonation of its amino group. It was demonstrated that the protonated form of it gelled 14 of the solvents tested. Further investigation revealed that the gels changed into solution with addition of any of the amines, including triethylamine (TEA), diethylamine, ethylenediamine, and NH3. The phase transition could be reversed by further introduction of the acidic gas. SEM measurements showed that 1 self-assembled into different supramolecular structures in different gels. Salt effect studies proved that electrostatic interaction is one of the driving forces for formation of the gels.     

超分子凝胶:结构多样性与超分子手性

超分子凝胶作为一种重要的软物质材料,在构建多重刺激响应性、光电功能,以及生物相容材料等功能软物质方面表现出了独特的优越性。超分子凝胶在形成过程中往往得到比较均一的纳米结构,且具有结构多样性;而另一方面,超分子凝胶的构筑单元大部分是手性分子,超分子凝胶也是实现手性在超分子层次/纳米层次表达的重要途径,尤其是手性传递、手性放大、不对称催化方面,同时超分子凝胶也是构筑手性纳米结构的重要手段。本文主要对超分子凝胶形成中的纳米结构以及形貌的多样性和超分子手性进行介绍,并展望该领域未来的发展方向。     

Specialist gelator for ionic liquids

Cyclo(l-beta-3,7-dimethyloctylasparaginyl-L-phenylalanyl) (1) and cyclo(L-beta-2-ethylhexylasparaginyl-L-phenylalanyl) (2), prepared from L-asparaginyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, have been found to be specialist gelators for ionic liquids. They can gel a wide variety of ionic liquids, including imizazolium, pyridinium, pyrazolidinium, piperidinium, morpholinium, and ammonium salts. The mean minimum gel concentrations (MGCs) necessary to make gels at 25 degrees C were determined for ionic liquids. The gel strength increased at a rate nearly proportional to the concentration of added gelator. The strength of the transparent gel of 1-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ([C(4)py]BF(4)), prepared at a concentration of 60 g L(-1) (gelator 1/[C(4)py]BF(4)), was ca. 1500 g cm(-2). FT-IR spectroscopy indicated that a driving force for gelation was intermolecular hydrogen bonding between amides and that the phase transition from gel to liquid upon heating was brought about by the collapse of hydrogen bonding. The gels formed from ionic liquids were very thermally stable; no melting occurs up to 140 degrees C when the gels were prepared at a concentration of 70 g L(-1) (gelator/ionic liquid). The ionic conductivities of the gels were nearly the same as those of pure ionic liquids. The gelator had electrochemical stability and a wide electrochemical window. When the gels were prepared from ionic liquids containing propylene carbonate, the ionic conductivities of the resulting gels increased to levels rather higher than those of pure ionic liquids. The gelators also gelled ionic liquids containing supporting electrolytes.     

Self‐Assembled Luminescent Quantum Dots To Generate Full‐Color and White Circularly Polarized Light

The design and fabrication of quantum dots (QDs) with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has been a great challenge in developing chiroptical materials. We herein propose an alternative to the use of chiral capping reagents on QDs for the fabrication of CPL‐active QDs that is based on the supramolecular self‐assembly of achiral QDs with chiral gelators. Full‐color‐tunable CPL‐active QDs were obtained by simple mixing or gelation of a chiral gelator and achiral 3‐mercaptopropionic acid capped QDs. In addition, the handedness of the CPL can be controlled by the supramolecular chirality of the gels. Moreover, QDs with circularly polarized white light emission were fabricated for the first time by tuning the blending ratio of colorful QDs in the gel. The chirality transfer in the co‐assembly of the achiral QDs with the gelator and the spacer effect of the capping reagents on the QD surface are also discussed. This work provides new insight into the design of functional chiroptical materials.     

Cholesteryl derivatives as phase-selective gelators at room temperature

One cholesterol-based ALS and two dimeric cholesterol-based A(LS)₂ low-molecular-mass organic gelators (LMOGs) containing phthaloyl, isophthaloyl, and terephthaloyl moieties, respectively, were prepared. Gelation test revealed that 2 and 3 are more efficient gelators than 1. Interestingly, 2 and 3 can gel several solvents spontaneously at room temperature and these gels posses thixotropic properties as revealed by rheological studies. More interestingly, 2 and 3 show selective gelation of the solvents from their mixtures with water. The network structures of some gels were investigated by SEM measurements, and the molecular packing mode of the LMOGs in the gel was studied by XRD analysis. Temperature- and concentration-dependent ¹H NMR measurements revealed that hydrogen bonding between the gelator molecules is an important driving force for the gel formation.     

Synthesis of Fluorescent Gelators and Direct Observation of Gelation with a Fluorescence Microscope

Fluorescein‐, benzothiazole‐, quinoline‐, stilbene‐, and carbazole‐containing fluorescent gelators have been synthesized by connecting gelation‐driving segments, including l ‐isoleucine, l ‐valine, l ‐phenylalanine, l ‐leucine residue, cyclo(l ‐asparaginyl‐l ‐phenylalanyl), and trans‐(1R,2R)‐diaminocyclohexane. The emission behaviors of the gelators were investigated, and their gelation abilities studied against 15 solvents. The minimum gel concentration, variable‐temperature spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy (FM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to characterize gelation. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the N?H and C=O of amide, van der Waals interactions and π–π stacking play important roles in gelation. The colors of emission are related to the fluorescence structures of gelators. Fibrous aggregates characterized by the color of their emission were observed by FM. 3D images are produced by the superposition of images captured by CLSM every 0.1 μm to a settled depth. The 3D images show that the large micrometer‐sized aggregates spread out three dimensionally. FM observations of mixed gelators are studied. In the case of gelation, two structurally related gelators with the same gelation‐driving segment lead to the gelators build up of the same aggregates through similar hydrogen‐bonding patterns. When two gelators with structurally different gelation‐driving segments induce gelation, the gelators build up each aggregate through individual hydrogen‐bonding patterns. A fluorescent reagent that was incorporated into the aggregates of gels through van der Waals interactions was developed. The addition of this fluorescent reagent enables the successful observation of nonfluorescent gelators’ aggregates by FM.     

Design, synthesis and stimuli responsive gelation of novel stigmasterol-amino acid conjugates

An efficient synthesis of three novel stigmasterol-amino acid (glycine, L-leucine and L-phenylalanine) conjugates as stimuli responsive gelators is reported. The gelation properties of the prepared compounds were investigated in a variety of organic as well as aqueous solvents. The most striking finding of our investigation was that the hydrochloride salts of the prepared conjugates acted as gelators, whereas the neutral conjugates were either non-gelators or formed only a weak gel in anisole. The hydrochloride salts of stigmasteryl glycinate and L-leucinate form gels in n-alcohols (n=4-10) and in ethane-1,2-diol, and that of stigmasteryl L-phenylalaninate forms gels in aromatic solvents and in tetrachloromethane. These unique properties of the gelators were explored to prepare stimuli responsive, "acid-base" triggered reversible sol-gel transitions. The gelators and their gels were characterized by liquid and solid-state NMR as well as FT-IR. The morphology of their corresponding xerogels was investigated by SEM.     

A Library of Multipurpose Supramolecular Supergelators: Fabrication of Structured Silica,Porous Plastics,and Fluorescent Gels

Supramolecular gels find applications in various fields. Usually, a specific gelator is useful only for a specific application. This one‐gelator‐one‐application format is one factor that limits the usefulness of supramolecular gels. We report the synthesis of a library of gelators from a common core by using a click‐chemistry approach. Thus, the click reaction of β‐azido‐4,6‐O‐benzylidene–galactopyranoside ( 1 ) with various alkynes gave 11 different gelators having varying gelation abilities. Whereas gelators having alkyl‐chain substituents congealed alkanes and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), the gelators having aromatic substituents congealed aromatic solvents. We exploited this difference in gelling behavior in the templated synthesis of silica rods and porous plastics. The styrene gel of gelator 2 j was polymerized, and the gelator was removed by washing to obtain porous polystyrene. The TEOS gel of gelator 2 b was polymerized to silica, and the gelator template was removed by calcination to give microstructured silica rods. We also developed fluorescent gelator 2 f by this method, which might find applications by virtue of its fluorescence in the assembled state.     

Molecular mechanism of physical gelation of hydrocarbons by fatty acid amides of natural amino acids

A variety of fatty acid amides of different naturally occurring l-amino acids have been synthesized and they are found to form gels with various hydrocarbons. The gelation properties of these compounds were studied by a number of physical methods including FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology, and it was found that gelation depended critically on the fatty acid chain length and the nature of the amino acid. Among them l-alanine based gelators were found to be the most efficient and versatile gelators as they self-assemble into a layered structure to form the gel network. Mechanisms for the assembly and formation of gels from these molecules are discussed.     

Charge-transfer phenomena in novel,dual-component,sugar-based organogels

The synthesis of a new saccharide-based gelator (2) containing a donor moiety has been described. Gelation experiments of a dual-component gel consisting of a saccharide-based gelator bearing an acceptor group (1) and of 2 have been performed in a variety of organic solvents and water. Moreover, gelation tests at different molar ratios of 1 and 2 have been performed in water, octanol, and diphenyl ether. In these last two solvents a gel color change was observed, from colorless to yellow, upon cooling of the sample to room temperature. This phenomenon was further investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy, which revealed the presence of charge-transfer interactions in the gel, in octanol. Temperature-dependence UV spectroscopy confirmed that such interactions occur in the gel but not in the corresponding solution sample. Furthermore, T(gel) measurements show that dual-component gels of 1 and 2 present increased thermal stability at a 50:50 ratio of the two gelators, in dependence of the solvent. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the single-component gels in diphenyl ether revealed that they consist of a fibrous network, while the dual-component gel presents a novel, helical, fibrous-bundle structure.     

Bile acid alkylamide derivatives as low molecular weight organogelators: systematic gelation studies and qualitative structural analysis of the systems

A series of amino- and hydroxyalkyl amides of bile acids have been synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), as well as electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) measurements. The ability of the synthesized molecules to promote gel formation was systematically investigated. Out of 396 combinations formed by 11 compounds and 36 different solvents, 22 gel-containing systems were obtained with 1% (w/v) gelator concentration. Apart from one exception, the gelator compounds were lithocholic acid derivatives. This challenges the general trend of bile acid-based physical gelators, according to which the gelation ability of lithocholic acid derivatives is poor. A correlation between the values of Kamlet-Taft parameters and solvent preferences for gelators was observed. The morphologies of the solid and gel structures studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed variability from fibers to spherical microscale aggregates, the latter of which are unique among bile acid-based organogels. The gels exhibited more complex behavior than was previously established with bile acid derivatives, judging by the microscale diversity present in gelating and non-gelating systems and the tendency for polymorphism. This study underlines the importance of both the molecular and colloidal scale aspects of the gelation phenomenon.