Organogel Electrolytes Based on a Low Molecular Weight Gelator:  2,3-Bis(n-decyloxy)anthracene

Abstract

Since 2,3-bis(n-decyloxy)anthracene (DDOA) is a good gelling agent for a large number of solvents including propylene carbonate (PC), the electrochemical properties of organogel electrolytes based on DDOA have been investigated. The presence of tetraalkylammonium salts in DDOA/PC gels is shown to preserve the three-dimensional network of DDOA fibers. In addition, at a given temperature, the conductivity is practically the same in the gel as in the corresponding solution with or without DDOA. The gelation temperature, T gel, is slightly affected by the presence and nature of the salt. Thus, at 1M salt concentration, T gel is increased by 9 °C with Et4NBF4 and decreased by 7 °C with Bu4NBF4, presumably because of a surfactant effect of the Bu4N+ cation. The electrochemical stability window of the liquid electrolyte is limited by the stability of DDOA, which displays the typical redox behavior of anthracene. However, in the gel state, DDOA is apparently protected within the fibers and the electrochemical stability extends up to 3 V. The performances of a DDOA gel electrolyte have been tested in a carbon double-layer capacitor.

Supramolecular Gels: Functions and Uses

“…24 Similarly, a gel of DDOA (S6) in propylene carbonate containing Et 4 NBF 4 had an ionic conductivity similar to the parent electrolyte solution. 25 Such gels have been used to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells with promising results. For instance, a dyesensitized solar cell constructed using the room temperature ionic liquid (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide), iodine and the isoleucine derivative as a quasi-solid-state electrolyte 26 not only showed a high thermal stability but also a photovoltaic behavior similar to the non-gelled molten salt electrolyte (Fig.…”

Thermoreversible Gels as Magneto‐Optical Switches

“…Hence the exothermic heat of association or melting enthalpy, DH melt , has been estimated as approximately 55 kJ mol À1 , in good agreement with melting enthalpies of organogels with interactions between long alkyl chains. [13] By analogy with these organogels, the gel formation may result from a precipitation of small aggregates. [14] Indeed atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals the presence of anisotropic aggregates in the gels with an average size of 150 nm in length and about 10 nm in diameter (Figure 2).…”

A Multi‐Redox Responsive Cyanometalate‐Based Metallogel

“…[13] Most importantly, the peak centered at 414 nm could be assigned to the CT band between TTF + • and F4TCNQ -• , strongly indicating that charge transfer complexes between the TTF moieties of 1 and F4TCNQ were formed in solution. It should also be noted that the titration experiments clearly show that each TTF moiety in 1 is capable of forming a 1:1 CT complex with F4TCNQ (i.e.…”

“…The gel-sol transformation can be considered as a dissolution process where, for an ideal solution, the molar concentration c can be expressed as ln c = -ΔHmelt / RT + constant, where ΔHmelt is the enthalpy of fusion. [13] The gel melting points of the 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 wt. % mixtures were thus measured using a water bath and the results are summarized in Table S3.…”