H-bonding-driven gel formation of a phenylacetylene macrocycle

Org Biomol Chem. 2011 Jun 21;9(12):4440-3. doi: 10.1039/c1ob05441d. Epub 2011 May 10.

Abstract

An amide-containing phenylacetylene macrocycle (PAM) has been synthesized and its gelation properties were studied in different solvents. Surprisingly, this macrocycle forms organogels at low concentration in many polar and apolar solvents. XRD and FTIR analysis suggest that this macrocycle forms stable supramolecular assemblies owing to H-bonding. Scanning electron microscopy analyses show the formation of bundles of nanofibrils, demonstrating the long-range organization of this material.