Utilizing dual responsive supramolecular gel to stabilize graphene oxide in apolar solvents

Here, we report a dual stimuli-responsive organogel which can stabilize graphene oxide (GO) in apolar solvents. The gelator 1-octadecyl-ureido-naphthalene (OUN) was synthesized, and it could form organogel in toluene and xylene. The resultant gels can respond to thermal and anion stimuli, bringing about fluorescent changes. Thin nanoribbons are entangled together to form three dimensional networks that can immobilize solvents in gel, providing large superficial area to interact with GO sheets. The addition of GO influences the gel properties, which are studied through rheological, fluorescent, and DSC measurements.     

Confinement effects on the self-assembly of 1,3:2,4-Di-p-methylbenzylidene sorbitol based organogel

1,3:2,4-di- p-methylbenzylidene sorbitol (MDBS) is a small organic molecule that is capable of inducing self-assembly in a wide variety of organic solvents and of forming organogels. In this paper, we present a novel approach to tune the network architectures of organogels by utilizing geometric confinement while varying the gelator concentration. Self-assembly of MDBS in propylene carbonate (PC) is investigated in a series of microchannels with widths varying from 20 to 80 mum and the gelator concentration varying from 2 to 7 wt %. We demonstrate by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that a transition from fibrillar structure to sheaflike spherulite structure occurs when (a) the channel width is increased for fixed gelator concentrations and (b) gelator concentration is increased for fixed channel widths. A phase diagram is built based on these observations. Polarized microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images are also obtained for organogel under unconfined condition to display the spherulite structures viewed under different length scales. The thermal properties of the organogel are measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to verify the structural difference obtained under confined and unconfined conditions and the structure stability. Our results provide a novel strategy to control the topological structure of self-assembled systems and to modify their thermal properties via geometric confinement.     

Water-induced physical gelation of organic solvents by N-(n-alkylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine amphiphiles

A series of amino acid-based gelators N-(n-alkylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine were synthesized, and their gelation abilities in a series of organic solvents were tested. No gelation was observed in pure solvents employed. All the amphiphilic molecules were found to form stable organogels in the solvents in the presence of a small amount of water, methanol, or urea. The volume of solvent gelled by a given amount of the gelator was observed to depend upon the volume of added water. The gelation behavior of the amphiphiles in a given solvent containing a known volume of water was compared. The effects of chirality and substitution on the acid group on the gelation ability were examined. Although the corresponding N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-DL-alanine was found to form only weak organogel in pure solvents, the achiral amphiphilic compound N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-β-alanine, however, did not form gel in the absence of water. The methyl ester of N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine was also observed to form gels in the same solvents, but only in the presence of water. The organogels were characterized by several techniques, including (1)H NMR, Fourier transform IR, X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The thermal and rheological properties of the organogels were studied. The mechanical strength of the organogel formed by N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-DL-alanine was observed to increase upon the addition of water. It was concluded that water-mediated intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between amphiphiles caused formation of supramolecular self-assemblies.     

溶剂和分子结构对席夫碱分子在有机凝胶中的荧光增强和超分子手性的影响

研究了在有机胶凝剂中掺杂的席夫碱化合物的结构和性质. 实验发现, 虽然席夫碱分子单独不能在有机溶剂中形成凝胶, 当其与一种胶凝剂N,N’-双十八烷基-L-Boc-谷氨酸混合时, 它们在二甲基亚砜或甲苯中形成透明的有机凝胶. 与相应的溶液相比, 观察到在有机凝胶中的荧光增强现象, 并且这一增强与席夫碱的结构有密切关系. 在二甲基亚砜的有机凝胶中, 观察到带有长烷基链的席夫碱具有诱导手性. 表明通过凝胶的形成, 胶凝剂的手性能传递到带有长链的席夫碱上.     

Effect of Solvent and Molecular Structure on the Enhanced Fluorescence and Supramolecular Chirality of Schiff Bases in Organogels

The structures and properties of some Schiff base compounds doped in organogels were investigated. It was found that although individual Schiff bases could not form organogels with organic solvents, they can gel by mixing with an organogelator, N,N′-bisoctadecyl-L-Boc-glutamic-diamide, which formed transparent organogels in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or toluene (Tol). The enhancement of doping Schiff bases fluorescence in the organogel was observed in comparison with that of the corresponding solution. Furthermore, in the DMSO organogel, the induced chirality was obtained from the doping Schiff base with long alkyl chain. In contrast, the Schiff bases without long alkyl chain could not form supramolecular chiral assemblies in organogel. It was suggested that through gel formation the chirality of the gelator could be transferred to the Schiff base through hydrophobic interaction among the long alkyl chains.     

A Synthetic Amino Acid Residue Containing A New Oligopeptide‐Based Photosensitive Fluorescent Organogel

A synthetic amino acid (with a stilbene residue in the main chain) containing a tripeptide‐based organogelator has been discovered. This peptide‐based synthetic molecule 1 self‐assembles in various organic solvents to form an organogel. The gel has been thoroughly characterized by using various microscopic techniques including field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV‐visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, and rheology. Morphological investigations using FESEM and AFM show a nanofibrillar network structure. Interestingly, the organogel is photoresponsive and a gel–sol transition occurred by irradiating the gel with UV light of 365 nm for 2 h as shown by the UV and fluorescence study. This photoresponsive fluorescent gel holds promise for new peptide‐based soft materials with interesting applications.     

Synthesis of Peptide‐Based Hybrid Nanobelts with Enhanced Color Emission by Heat Treatment or Water Induction

We demonstrate that an inorganic lanthanide ion (Tb³⁺) or organic dye molecules were encapsulated in situ into diphenylalanine (FF) organogels by a general, simple, and efficient co‐assembly process, which generated peptide‐based hybrid nanobelts with a range of colored emissions. In the presence of a photosensitizer (salicylic acid), the organogel can serve as an excellent molecular‐donor scaffold to investigate FRET to Tb³⁺. More importantly, heat treatment or water induction instigated a morphology transition from nanofibers to nanobelts, after which the participation of guest molecules in the FF assembly was promoted and the stability and photoluminescence emission of the composite organogels were enhanced.     

Formation of hydrophobic surface using a bis-urea derived organogel

A bis-urea derived gelator 1 was synthesised with a high yield via a simple organic reaction. The gelator could form organogel in four kinds of solvents. The organogels obtained from four kinds of solvents were systematically investigated by FESEM, UV–Vis, PL, IR, XRD and water contact angle experiments. It was interesting that the self-assembly process of gelator 1 could be tuned by solvents. The film structure and fibre were formed in different solvents. At the same time, the different morphologies all displayed hydrophobicity. Especially, the contact angle of the fibre obtained from organogel in DMF was up to 147°. This research would provide a good pattern for preparation of a special hydrophobic surface through supramolecular self-assembly.     

Towards a universal organogelator:A general mixing approach to fabricate various organic compounds into organogels

Low-molecular-weight organogels(LMOG) have been attracting a surge interest in fabricating soft materials.Although the finding of the gelator molecules has been developed from serendipity to objective design,the achievement of the gelator molecules still needs good design and tedious organic synthesis.In this paper,we proposed a simple and general mixing approach to get the organogel for nearly all the organic compounds and even soluble nanoparticles without any modification.We have designed a universal gel...     

An Amino‐Acid‐Based Self‐Healing Hydrogel: Modulation of the Self‐Healing Properties by Incorporating Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials

An amino‐acid‐based (11‐(4‐(pyrene‐1‐yl)butanamido)undecanoic acid) self‐repairing hydrogel is reported. The native hydrogel, as well as hybrid hydrogels, have been thoroughly characterized by using various microscopic techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and by using rheological experiments. The native hydrogel exhibited interesting fluorescence properties, as well as a self‐healing property. Interestingly, the self‐healing, thixotropy, and stiffness of the native hydrogel can be successfully modulated by incorporating carbon‐based nanomaterials, including graphene, pristine single‐walled carbon nanotubes (Pr‐SWCNTs), and both graphene and Pr‐SWCNTs, within the native gel system. The self‐recovery time of the gel was shortened by the inclusion of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), Pr‐SWCNTs, or both RGO and Pr‐SWCNTs. Moreover, hybrid gels that contained RGO and/or Pr‐SWCNTs exhibited interesting semiconducting behavior.     

Architecture of a biocompatible supramolecular material by supersaturation-driven fabrication of its fiber network

The architecture of a biocompatible organogel formed by gelation of a small molecule organic gelator, N-lauroyl-L-glutamic acid di-n-butylamide, in isostearyl alcohol was investigated based on a supersaturation-driven crystallographic mismatch branching mechanism. By controlling the supersaturation of the system, the correlation length that determines the mesh size of the fiber network was finely tuned and the rheological properties of the gel were engineered. This approach is of considerable significance for many gel-based applications, such as controlled release of drugs that requires precise control of the mesh size. A direct cryo-transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging technique capable of preserving the network structure was used to visualize its nanostructure.     

Pyrene‐Based Fluorescent Ambidextrous Gelators: Scaffolds for Mechanically Robust SWNT–Gel Nanocomposites

With the rapid progress in the development of supramolecular soft materials, examples of low‐molecular‐weight gelators (LMWGs) with the ability to immobilise both water and organic solvents by the same structural scaffold are very limited. In this paper, we report the development of pyrene‐containing peptide‐based ambidextrous gelators (AGs) with the ability to efficiently gelate both organic and aqueous solvents. The organo‐ and hydrogelation efficiencies of these gelators are in the range 0.7–1.1 % w/v in various organic solvents and 0.5–5 % w/v in water at certain acidic pH values (pH 2.0–4.0). Moreover, for the first time, AGs have been utilised to prepare single‐walled carbon‐nanotube (SWNT)‐included soft nanocomposites in both hydro‐ and organogel matrices. The influence of different non‐covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, π–π and van der Waals interactions in self‐assembled gelation has been studied in detail by circular dichroism, FTIR, variable‐temperature NMR, 2D NOESY and luminescence spectroscopy. Interestingly, the presence of the pyrene moiety in the structure rendered these AGs intrinsically fluorescent, which was quenched upon successful integration of the SWNTs within the gel. The prepared hydro‐ and organogels along with their SWNT‐integrated nanocomposites are thermoreversible in nature. The supramolecular morphologies of the dried gels and SWNT–gel nanocomposites have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and polarising optical microscopy, which confirmed the presence of three‐dimensional self‐assembled fibrillar networks (SAFINs) as well as the integrated SWNTs. Importantly, rheological studies revealed that the inclusion of SWNTs within the ambidextrous gels improved the mechanical rigidity of the resulting soft nanocomposites up to 3.8‐fold relative to the native gels.     

Gelation of a Highly Fluorescent Urea‐Containing Triarylmelamine Derivative: 2,4,6‐Tris(p‐N′‐Octadecylureido‐Anilino)Triazine in Organic Solvents

A new gelator of urea‐containing triazine derivatives was synthesized and tested in order to explore the gelation potential in different organic solvents. This compound has been found to form organogels with a variety of organic solvents such as decalin and other solvents. The resulting thermo‐reversible gel was characterized by using the dropping ball method and a number of other instruments. The melting temperature of the gel increased with the gel concentration. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding of gelation was demonstrated through an FT‐IR spectrometer. UV‐Vis and fluorescence analysis showed that the gel displayed various optical effects in different organic solvents. The blue fluorescence of the gel in decalin and the quenched effect of gel in CHCl³ were displayed, respectively. Morphological features in decalin and CHCl₃ were studied by applying atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the morphological features demonstrated that there were different aggregations in different solvents. In conductivity electrolyte experiments, the organogel electrolytes indicated high conductivity (σ) comparable to the corresponding NaClO₄/THF solution. The conductivity of gel electrolytes was increased with electrolyte salt.     

Functional organogel based on a salicylideneaniline derivative with enhanced fluorescence emission and photochromism

A new organogelator based on a salicylideneaniline derivative with cholesterol moieties was synthesized, and it was proposed that it could gelate various organic solvents, such as 1-butanol, 1-octanol, butyl acetate, tetrachloromethane, benzene, toluene through combination with a gelation test. From the results of analysis by UV/Vis absorption, circular dichroism (CD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies and semiempirical (AM1) calculations, we believed that the gelator molecules could self-assemble into left-handed helical nanofibers through unimolecular layer packing, which further twisted into the thicker fibers and constructed 3D networks in the gel phase. Interestingly, the organogel exhibited strong fluorescence enhancement relative to a solution of the same concentration because of the formation of J aggregations. Meanwhile, photochromism of the organogel could take place under UV-light irradiation. Both strong fluorescence emission and photochromism properties were concurrent in one system based on a salicylideneaniline derivative. It was suggested that the self-assembly of the functional organogelator could lead to unique photophysical properties.     

Novel CuS nanofibers using organogel as a template: controlled by binding sites

A new cholesterol organogelator 1 was synthesized, which was confirmed as an effective gelator for various organic solvents and could self-assemble into network fibers in some organic solvents. Moreover, gelator 1 could act as templates for the synthesis of various CuS nanofibers with different helical pitches. For example, when H(2)S was used as the sulfur source, straight and bending helical CuS nanofibers with a pitch of 100-200 nm could be fabricated in butyl acetate and benzene-butanol gel systems, respectively, while bending CuS nanofibers with a similar helical pitch (ca. 50 nm) could be obtained when thioacetamide was used as the sulfur source in both gel systems. It was first found that the morphologies of inorganic nanofibers could be controlled by the binding sites between the inorganic precursor and the organogel.     

Strength enhancement of nanostructured organogels through inclusion of phthalocyanine-containing complementary organogelator structures and in situ cross-linking by click chemistry

Stable photoactive organogels were successfully prepared by a two-step sequence involving: 1) formation of thermoreversible organogels by use of a combination of low-molecular-weight organogelators (LMOGs) and ZnII-phthalocyanine (ZnII-Pc) moieties containing complementary organogelator structures, and 2) strength enhancement of the gels by in situ cross-linking with the aid of CuI-catalysed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloadditions (CuAACs). The optimum click reaction was carried out between a flexible C6 aliphatic diazide and a suitable dialkyne (molar ratio 1:1) added in a low proportion relative to the organogelator system [LMOG+ZnIIPc]. The dialkyne unit was incorporated into a molecule resembling the LMOGs structure in such a way that it could also participate in the self-assembly of [LMOG+ZnIIPc]. The significant compatibility of the multicomponent photoactive organogels towards this strengthening through CuAACs allowed their sol-to-gel transition temperatures (Tgel) to be enhanced by up to 15 degrees C. The Tgel values estimated by the "inverse flow method" were in good agreement with the values obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Rheological measurements confirmed the viscoelastic, rigid, and brittle natures of all Pc-containing gels. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM, SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed the fibrilar nature of the gels and the morphological changes upon cross-linking by CuAAC. Emission of a red luminescence from the dry nanoscale fibrous structure-due to the self-assembly of the Pc-containing compounds in the organogel fibres-was directly observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The optical properties were studied by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) measurements were also carried out to complete the physicochemical characterization of selected gels. As a proof of concept, two different organogelators (cholesterol- and diamide-based LMOGs) were successfully used to validate the general strategy.     

Microstructure determination of AOT + phenol organogels utilizing small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy.

Dry reverse micelles of the anionic twin-tailed surfactant bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) dissolved in nonpolar solvents spontaneously form an organogel when p-chlorophenol is added in a 1:1 AOT:phenol molar ratio. The solvents used were benzene, toluene, m-xylene, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane (isooctane), decane, dodecane, tetradecane, hexadecane, and 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane (TMPD). The proposed microstructure of the gel is based on strands of stacked phenols linked to AOT through hydrogen bonding. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) spectra of the organogels suggest a characteristic length scale for these phenol-AOT strands that is independent of concentration but dependent on the chemical nature of the nonpolar solvent used. Correlation lengths determined from the SAXS spectra indicate that the strands self-assemble into fibers. Direct visualization of the gel in its native state is accomplished by using tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is shown that these organogels consist of fiber bundle assemblies. The SAXS and AFM data reinforce the theory of a molecular architecture consisting of three length scales-AOT/phenolic strands (ca. 2 nm in diameter) that self-assemble into fibers (ca. 10 nm in diameter), which then aggregate into fiber bundles (ca. 20-100 nm in diameter) and form the organogel.     

胆固醇分子印迹的聚合有机凝胶及其吸附性能研究

报道了一种新型胆固醇分子印迹的聚合有机凝胶.以3-胆固醇酰氧基丙酸(COPA)为模板分子,通过可聚合凝胶剂N-十八烷基马来酰胺酸(ODMA)在甲基丙烯酸β-羟乙酯、甲基丙烯酸和聚乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯混合溶液的自组装,首先形成稳定的超分子有机凝胶,经UV光引发原位聚合,再经乙醇提取模板分子后制得胆固醇非共价印迹的聚合有机凝胶.偏光显微镜(POM)和场发射扫描电镜(FE-SEM)表明ODMA在单体混合物中自组装形成带状聚集体,这为其后形成的印迹聚合有机凝胶的孔穴稳定性提供了保证.印迹聚合有机凝胶对胆固醇的吸附效率可达到64%,并与ODMA和COPA的含量有关.实验表明,当ODMA的含量由1wt%增加到3 wt%时,吸附量由15.7 mg/g增加到22.9 mg/g.当COPA的含量由4 wt%增加到7 wt%时,吸附量由16.8 mg/g增加到22.2 mg/g.然而,当ODMA含量过多时,吸附量反而下降,这主要归因于体系网络密度的增加导致扩散阻力增加.而COPA含量过多时,可能干扰ODMA的自组装,影响印迹孔穴的稳定性,同样使得吸附量下降.     

Two novel quadruple hydrogen-bonding motifs: the formation of supramolecular polymers, vesicles, and organogels

Two new hydrazide-based quadruple hydrogen-bonding motifs are described. Dipodals based on these two motifs are revealed to form supramolecular polymers, which can further aggregate to form vesicles and/or organogels in hydrocarbons. The quadruple hydrogen-bonding motifs are characterized by the X-ray diffraction and (2D) ¹H NMR experiments, while the vesicles and organogels are evidenced by SEM, AFM, TEM, and fluorescent microscopy.