Copper(ii)-responsive gel–sol phase transition in supramolecular gel systems of salen-appended sorbitol†
Abstract
A smart functional gelator containing salen and sorbitol moieties has been synthesized, and it shows excellent gelation behavior in organic–water mixtures. The gel exhibits an efficient ‘naked eye’ response to copper(II) through a reversible gel–sol transition, which is associated with a color change from yellow to colorless.