Functional π-Gelators and Their Applications

The large volume of research related to supramolecular π-gel chemistry indicates the potential of this area in the field of new functional materials useful for a variety of application, particularly to the fabrication of organic electronic devices. For improved electronic properties, it is necessary to avoid/reduce the content of insulating alkyl chains in the gelator molecules, which is the key point in balancing solubility and precipitation. This will improve the 1D ordering of the gelator and thereby the charge transport properties. Postpolymerization approaches and hybrid material assemblies of gels should be further explored to obtain stable structures that can overcome ambient conditions without loosing the electronic properties. π-gelators have great potential to the development of self-assembly based bulk heterojunction solar cells. For improved performance in this field, more appropriate D-A systems with absorption characteristics extendable to the near-IR and IR regions of the electromagnetic spectrum for more solar radiation coverage, improved stability and environmental compatibility are needed.