Supramolecular gelators based on benzenetricarboxamides for ionic liquids.

Supramolecular gelators comprising 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acids and amino acid methyl esters (glycine, L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine, L-methionine, and L-phenylalanine) for ionic liquids were developed. Ten types of ionic liquids were gelated using the above-mentioned gelators at relatively low concentrations. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy analyses revealed that these gelators self-assembled into an entangled fibrous structure in ionic liquids, leading to the gelation of the ionic liquids. Comparison studies, involving compounds analogous to the gelators, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements suggested that hydrogen bonding played a key role in the self-assembly of the gelator molecules. The ionogels displayed reversible thermal transition characteristics and viscoelastic properties typical of a gel. The gelation of the ionic liquids studied under a wide range of gelator concentrations did not affect the intrinsic conductivity of the ionic liquids.