2,5-Dialkoxylphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles as efficient organogelators and their self-assembling property

Four 2,5-dialkoxylphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles are shown to be efficient organogelators. These compounds readily form stable gels in many organic solvents and their gelation property as well as supramolecular structures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). The results indicate that the gelator molecules self-assemble into gels with elongated fibrous networks and layer structures, and van der Waals interaction is the main driving force.