Structural and Solubility Parameter Correlations of Gelation Abilities for Dihydroxylated Derivatives of Long-Chain, Naturally Occurring Fatty Acids

Creating structure-property correlations at different distance scales is one of the important challenges to the rational design of molecular gelators. Here, a series of dihydroxylated derivatives of long-chain fatty acids, derived from three naturally occurring moleculesoleic, erucic and ricinoleic acidsare investigated as gelators of a wide variety of liquids. Conclusions about what constitutes a more (or less!) efficient gelator are based upon analyses of a variety of thermal, structural, molecular modeling, and rheological results. Correlations between the manner of molecular packing in the neat solid or gel states of the gelators and Hansen solubility data from the liquids leads to the conclusion that diol stereochemistry, the number of carbon atoms separating the two hydroxyl groups, and the length of the alkanoic chains are the most important structural parameters controlling efficiency of gel formation for these gelators. Some of the diol gelators are as efficient or even more efficient than the well-known, excellent gelator, (R)-12-hydroxystearic acid; others are much worse. The ability to form extensive intermolecular H-bonding networks along the alkyl chains appears to play a key role in promoting fiber growth and, thus, gelation. In toto, the results demonstrate how the efficiency of gelation can be modulated by very small structural changes and also suggest how other structural modifications may be exploited to create efficient gelators.