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Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Fluorous 'ponytails' lead to strong gelators showing thermally induced structure evolution
Harshita Kumari1, Sarah E Armitage2, Steven R Kline3
1James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 3225 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA. kumariha@ucmail.uc.edu.
Abstract:
Appending perfluoroalkyl substituents to bis(urea) gelators results in significantly decreased inter-chain interactions with markedly thinner fibres and hence more cross-linked and more transparent gels with potential applications in the crystallisation of fluorinated pharmaceuticals. Gel structure has been probed by detailed SANS measurements which indicate a surprising structure evolution on thermal cycling, not seen for hydrocarbon analogues. The SANS data are complemented by the single crystal X-ray structure of one fluorinated gelator.
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