Hybrid Materials Combining Photoactive 2,3-DidecyloxyAnthracene Physical Gels and Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

Organic/inorganic hybrid gels have been developed in order to control the three-dimensional structure of photoactive nanofibers and metallic nanoparticles (NPs). These materials are prepared by simultaneous self-assembly of the 2,3-didecyloxyanthracene (DDOA) gelator and of thiol-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). TEM and fluorescence measurements show that alkane-thiol capped AuNPs are homogeneously dispersed and tightly attached to the thermoreversible fibrillar network formed by the organogelator in n-butanol or n-decanol. Rheology and thermal stability measurements reveal moreover that the mechanical and thermal stabilities of the DDOA organogels are not significantly altered and that they remain strong, viscoelastic materials. The hybrid materials display a variable absorbance in the visible range because of the AuNPs, whereas the strong luminescence of the DDOA nanofibers is efficiently quenched by micromolar amounts of AuNPs. Besides, we obtained hybrid aerogels using supercritical CO2. These are very low-density porous materials showing fibrillar networks on which fluorinated gold NPs are dispersed. These hybrid materials are of high interest because of their tunable optical properties and are under investigation for efficient light scattering.

Towards a universal organogelator: A general mixing approach to fabricate various organic compounds into organogels

“…Although the incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles into the organogels are still unusual, there has been a surge of interest in fabrication of various nanostructures by using supramolecular organogels template [9,11,12,63]. On the other hand, several samples focusing on doping inorganic nanoparticles into LMOGs based organogels have been reported [64,65]. For doping inside the organogels, gold nanoparticles can be good model.…”

Pyrene‐Based Fluorescent Supramolecular Hydrogel: Scaffold for Energy Transfer

“…Supramolecular gels1–11 have attracted widespread attention due to their potential applications in diverse fields such as drug delivery,12, 13 tissue engineering,14, 15 templates for nanostructured materials,16, 17 removal of pollutants,18, 19 enzyme‐immobilization matrices,20–22 and so on. This has augmented the need for the rational design and synthesis of gelators with appropriate functionality for task‐specific applications.…”

Photocontrolled Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Anisotropic Micropatterns of Nanofibers onto Isotropic Surfaces

“…The pro‐gelator α‐diketone‐2,3‐didecyloxyanthracene (dkDDOA) (synthesis in Scheme S3, Supporting Information) was designed to yield upon photodecarbonylation, with volatile CO as sole side product, the extensively studied 2,3‐didecyloxyanthracene (DDOA, Figure a). The latter is a supergelator displaying robust self‐assembly in polar solvents such as alcohols and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and in the presence of other compounds . Furthermore, the DDOA nanofibers constituting the solid network of the DMSO gels demonstrate fluorescence anisotropy and birefringence due to high order and partial crystallinity .…”