title: Self-assembly of a dendron-attached tetrathiafulvalene: gel formation and modulation in the presence of chloranil and metal ions.
abstract: The self-assembly of a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based molecular gelator with a dendron substituent into a gel is described. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope studies show that the xerogels exhibit rope-like frameworks or interwoven nanofibers, depending on the polarity of solvent from which the gel is formed. Gels containing chloranil can also be successfully prepared. Interestingly, this two-component gel can be easily transformed into solution after the addition of either Sc³⁺ or Pb²⁺. Both absorption and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic investigations reveal that the TTF unit is oxidized into TTF+ by chloranil in the presence of either Sc³⁺ or Pb²⁺. Moreover, the gel phase can be restored by reduction of TTF+ into the neutral form using magnesium.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Organic Solids Laboratory, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xingyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Guanxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Liqiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Deqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Daoben
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhu