Photo-responsive organogels based on stilbenedicarboxylic acid and octadecylamine.

Herein, we describe a photo-responsive organogel using low molecular mass gelators (LMOGs) of stilbenedicarboxylic acid (St) and octadecylamine (NC 18). Organogels could be obtained by the mixture of St and NC 18 in a variety of organic solvents, which was in the formation of ion pairs via electrostatic interaction. The phase transition temperature of the St(NC 18) 2 gel increased with the increase of the gel agent concentration, which reached a constant value of 369 K at gel agent concentration of 90 mmol/L. The organogels could be destroyed by UV irradiation, originating from the photo-responsive characteristics of the stilbene group. Compared with the traditional responsive LMOGs, the St(NC 18) 2 gel system is composed of readily available compounds. The organogel will have a wider range of applications in the development of the smart materials for sensors, recognition, and separation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]