Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
Chem Asian J. 2011 Feb 1;6(2):266-82. doi: 10.1002/asia.201000217. Epub 2010 Aug 16.
Since their discovery, over the years, molecular gels have been constantly drawing the attention of chemists from various scientific fields. Their structural softness together with the orderliness at the molecular level provides such molecules immense potential for the amplification of their properties. Using this chemistry, one can easily realize a macroscopic outcome from a molecular level modulation. This phenomenon is governed by the principle of supramolecular interactions that introduce a unique "reversibility" to the system. The new generation of gel chemistry is now tending more towards the development of new attractive functions to create smart materials for achieving outstanding response or unprecedented selectivity over a process. However, for the successful implementation of this mission, it is really essential to correlate gel functions with their structures. This focus review is an attempt to find such a correlation, which can motivate and stimulate this existing field towards precisely designing molecular gels for the desired functions.
自发现以来，多年来，分子凝胶一直吸引着来自各个科学领域的化学家的关注。它们的结构柔软性和分子水平的有序性为放大其性质提供了巨大的潜力。通过这种化学方法，人们可以很容易地从分子水平的调节中实现宏观结果。这种现象受超分子相互作用原理的控制，该原理为系统引入了独特的“可逆性”。新一代的凝胶化学现在更倾向于开发新的吸引力功能，以创造智能材料，从而在一个过程中实现出色的响应或前所未有的选择性。然而，要成功实现这一任务，真正重要的是将凝胶功能与其结构相关联。这篇重点综述试图找到这种相关性，这可以激励和推动这一现有领域朝着为所需功能精确设计分子凝胶的方向发展。
