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From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
A Pronounced Halogen Effect on the Organogelation Properties of Peripherally Halogen Functionalized Poly(benzyl
Yu Feng1, Hui Chen2, Zhi-Xiong Liu2
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences and CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, P.R. China. fengyu211@iccas.ac.cn.
Abstract:
An interesting halogen-substituent effect on the organogelation properties of poly(benzyl ether) dendrons is reported. A new class of poly(benzyl ether) dendrons with halo substituents decorating their periphery was synthesized and fully characterized. A systematic study on the gelation abilities, thermotropic behaviors, aggregated microstructures, and mechanical properties of self-assembled organogels was performed to elucidate the halogen-substituent effects on their organogelation propensity. It was found that the exact halogen substitutions on the periphery of dendrons exert a profound effect on the organogelation propensity, and dendrons Gn -Cl (n=2, 3) and G2 -I proved to be highly efficient organogelators. The cooperation of multiple π-π, dispersive halogen, CH-π, and weak C-H⋅⋅⋅X hydrogen-bonding interactions were found to be the key contributor to forming the self-assembled gels. Dendritic organogels formed from Gn -Cl (n=2, 3) in 1,2-dichloroethane exhibited thixotropic-responsive properties, and such thixotropic organogels are promising materials for future research and applications.
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