Photo-responsive organogels based on stilbenedicarboxylic acid and octadecylamine

Herein, we describe a photo-responsive organogel using low molecular mass gelators (LMOGs) of stilbenedicarboxylic acid (St) and octadecylamine (NC18). Organogels could be obtained by the mixture of St and NC18 in a variety of organic solvents, which was in the formation of ion pairs via electrostatic interaction. The phase transition temperature of the St(NC18)2 gel increased with the increase of the gel agent concentration, which reached a constant value of 369 K at gel agent concentration of 90 mmol/L. The organogels could be destroyed by UV irradiation, originating from the photo-responsive characteristics of the stilbene group. Compared with the traditional responsive LMOGs, the St(NC18)2 gel system is composed of readily available compounds. The organogel will have a wider range of applications in the development of the smart materials for sensors, recognition, and separation.