Stimuli-responsive Supramolecular Gels Based on the Self-Assembly of stigmasterol-ferrocene derivative

Abstract Small molecule gels with different stimuli responsiveness are endowed with different characteristics. Due to the reversibility of non-covalent bond forces and the adjustability of the self-assembly process, small molecule gels are widely used as an intelligent soft material prospect. Here, we designed and synthesized a novel gelator, stigmasteryl glycinate ferrocenoylamide (SGF), which uses plant sterols as raw materials and has multi-stimulus response performance. The gelation behavior of SGF was investigated in different solvents. The properties and mechanism of self-assembly of gels were characterized by SEM, UV-VIS, FT-IR, CAT and XRD. The intermolecular hydrogen bond nature of the gel formation and the lamellar aggregation pattern of SGF gel are revealed. Interestingly, SGF/cyclohexane gel shows excellent responsiveness to a variety of external stimuli such as temperature, thixotropic force and redox. In particular, SGF has a specific recognition ability for methanol.