Selective anion-responsive organogel based on a gelator containing hydrazide and azobenzene units

An organogelator named N-4-dodecyloxyphenyl-N'-4-((4-nitrophenyl)azophenyl)benzohydrazide (1) was synthesized and was tested to gel aromatic solvent giving stable gels. SEM images revealed that the xerogels consisted of fibers, within which molecules self-assembled to a layered structure, while fibers entangled to 3D network. Both UV-vis spectra and FT-IR studies showed that the major driving force for the formation of fibers was the intermolecular hydrogen bondings,pi-pi interactions and the microphase segregation between the rigid-rod core and the flexible chains. The gels exhibited gel-sol transition and color change upon addition of anion (F- and AcO-) stimuli. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.