Phase selective amphiphilic supergelators for oil spill solidification and dye removal

Four glucose-based phase selective organogelators were designed and synthesized from low-cost and readily available starting materials. Our rapid acting supergelators were able to gelate a wide spectrum of solvents in mono- or biphasic systems, at very low concentration. They were shown to solidify oil spills at room temperature, in the form of a semi-dried gel, within 90 min. It was also revealed that their n-butanol gel could effectively absorb pollutant dyes from aqueous media. As novel smart materials, these gelators are potentially applicable to remove contaminants including aromatic solvents, oil spills, and toxic dyes from water resources. The gelators have been well characterized using spectroscopic, microscopic, and rheological studies.