Molecular design, gel properties, and anti-settling ability with natural rosin-based sulfonamide compounds regulated by conjugation

The design of compounds with excellent controllable weak forces is of great significance to solve current industrial problems. Herein, three natural rosin-based sulfonamide compounds (i.e., dehydroabietyl-based benzene sulfonamide (DBS-1); dehydroabietyl-based benzyl sulfonamide (DBS-2), and dehydrofiranic acid-based ptoluene sulfonamide (DBS-3)) were designed and synthesized by regulating the conjugation of sulfamide, carbonamide, and benzene. Organogels with rod-like, spherical, and layered morphologies were formed by 7C-7C stacking and one-dimensional hydrogen bonding in the absence of an external driving force. Rheological studies emphasized the mechanical strength of these organogels, and gel three-dimensional networks at the nano- and micron-scales can effectively capture six volatile organic solvents. Notably, the presence of conjugation can effectively regulate the dynamic and static equilibrium of organogels to construct stable supermolecular assemblies. DBS-1, which contained abundant conjugated structures and weak intermolecular forces, exhibited amazing anti-settling ability in synthetic oil-based drilling fluids, with a static sedimentation factor of 0.512. Thus, industrial problems such as barite settlement can be solved by using DBS-1 as an additive agent. This report provides inspiration for the effective design of natural anti-settling agents.

Automated summary

The design and synthesis of rosin-based sulfonamide compounds with controllable weak forces is important for solving industrial problems. In this study, three such compounds were designed and formed different morphologies of organogels. The organogels successfully captured volatile organic solvents and formed stable supermolecular assemblies through the presence of conjugation. Among them, DBS-1 exhibited remarkable anti-settling ability in synthetic oil-based drilling fluids.