Physical organogels composed of amphiphilic block copolymers and 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-D-sorbitol

The 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene-D-sorbitol (DBS) molecule is capable of self-organizing into nanoscale fibrils through intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonding and pi interactions. At sufficiently high concentrations (typically less than approximately 2 wt%), the nanofibrils can form a network that promotes physical gelation of the matrix medium. Previous studies have investigated the mechanism of DBS-induced gelation and the features of DBS-containing gels in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(propylene glycol) (PPG). In this work, we examine the effect of adding DBS to a series of amphiphilic PPG-b-PEG-b-PPG triblock copolymers differing in composition and molecular weight. Dynamic rheological measurements reveal that the resultant gels are thermoreversible (i.e., they exhibit comparable mechanical properties before dissolution and after reformation under quiescent conditions), exhibiting a maximum in the elastic modulus (G') at temperatures near the gel dissolution (T(d)) and formation (T(f)) temperatures. Both T(d) and T(f) tend to increase with increasing DBS concentration and PPG content, and their difference decreases with increasing PPG fraction in the copolymer. The magnitude of G' is sensitive to copolymer composition and polymer identity at low DBS concentrations, but becomes polymer-independent as the DBS network saturates at concentrations in excess of approximately 1 wt%.