Supramolecular Assembly of pH-Sensitive Triphenylene Derived π-Gelators and Their Application as Molecular Template for the Preparation of Silica Nanotubes

Supramolecular organogels based on mesogenic 2,7-difunctionalized triphenylenes as a simple system for water content assessment in light alcohols

Self-assembly of di-hydroxylated triphenylenes in columnar mesophases and organogels depends on the spacer length and allows water quantification in alcohols.

The effect of vicinal di-halo substituents on the organogelling properties of aromatic supramolecular gelators and their application as soft templates

Vicinal di-halo substituents have a determinant effect on the supramolecular self-assembly and properties of aromatic physical gelators with application as soft templates.

Supramolecular self-assembly and physical-gel formation in disc-like liquid crystals: a scalable predictive model for gelation and an application in photovoltaics

The application of triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystal derivatives as physical gelators is investigated. In particular, we focus on 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis-pentyloxytriphenylene (HAT5) and the longer alkyl chain homologue (HAT6). The driving mechanisms behind and parameter space of non-covalent physical gel formation is studied. A Hansen solubility parameter (HSP) approach is used to predict physical gelation of these disc-like liquid crystalline molecules in a variety of common organic and inorganic solvents important to electrochemical devices. Our results show that HSP analysis is very useful for the prediction of gel formation. The results are transferrable and can form the basis for future investigations into liquid crystalline physical gels. Furthermore, we use acetonitrile as a solvent and apply the gels as electrolytes in dye sensitized solar cells. It is observed that using a binary mixture of gelators results in average photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies as high as 7.21%, compared to a 5.9% reference electrolyte. This is attributed to a reduction in electron recombination at the n-type interface and provides further insight about hybrid gelators. Coupled with an increase in device stability, the results are promising for gel-based dye sensitized solar cells as well as potentially other electrolytic devices such as batteries and supercapacitors.

Gels as Templates for the Syntheses of Shape-Controlled Nanostructured Materials

The preparation of inorganic, organic and/or hybrid nanostructured materials with controlled shape and size is crucial for the development of nanotechnology, and it is nowadays the focus of intense research.[...].

High Order in a Self-Assembled Iridium(III) Complex Gelator Towards Nanostructured IrO2 Thin Films

The preparation and characterization of a new metallogelator based on the Ir^III discrete cyclometalated complex [(ppy)₂ Ir(bpy)](CH₃ CH₂ OCH₂ CO₂ ) are reported, where H(ppy) is 2-phenylpiridine and bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, which is used as an ancillary ligand. The compound is able to self-assemble in water in a range of concentrations between 3 % and 6 % w/w, creating a luminescent ordered supramolecular gel. The gel and xerogel architectures were investigated through polarized optical microscopy (POM), SEM and TEM microscopies coupled with powder X-ray diffraction. The gel supramolecular organization is characterized by columnar tetragonal strands, already present at high dilution conditions, of cations surrounded by counteranions. These strands, in turn, are self-assembled in an oblique columnar cell upon gelification. The xerogel thin films obtained upon complete dehydration maintained the gel supramolecular order and can be used as a precursor for the preparation of nanostructured IrO₂ thin films.