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.