Molecular and crystal engineering approaches towards the design of functional supramolecular gelators

Abstract

Supramolecular gelators are an important class of compounds capable of immobilizing various solvents resulting in gels. Not much is known about the gelation mechanism and consequently, designing gelator molecule is a daunting task. However, efforts are being made to decipher the mystery of gelation and various groups are engaged in designing new gelators. Both molecular- and crystal engineering are being applied to synthesize new gelator molecules. This review article describes briefly the developments including the recent ones in this area; it also covers interesting applications offered by these wonderful materials.