Stiff-Stilbene-Bridged Biscalix[4]arene as a Highly Light-Responsive Supramolecular Gelator

A newly designed stiff-stilbene functionalized biscalix[4]arene in its cis form Z-1 could be near-quantitatively photoswitched to the trans-isomer E-1 under irradiation of 385 nm UV light. The trans-biscalix[4]arene E-1 was found to be a supergelator in nonpolar organic solvents, e.g., cyclohexane, hexane, pentane, and ether, with critical gelation concentrations as low as 0.2, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.4% w/v, respectively. The cis-trans configurational isomerism of biscalix[4]arene 1 resulted in distinct self-assembly modes, leading to interesting microscopic morphological changes from honeycomb and ringlike structures to rodlike dense fibrous networks.