Issue 28, 2016

Solid state NMR studies of gels derived from low molecular mass gelators

Abstract

Since its invention more than six decades ago, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has evolved as an inevitable part of chemical as well as structural analysis of small molecules, polymers, biomaterials and hybrid materials. In the solution state, due to the increased viscosity of complex viscoelastic fluids such as gels, liquid crystals and other soft materials, the rate of molecular tumbling is reduced, which in turn affects the chemical shift anisotropy, dipolar and quadrupolar interactions. As a consequence the solution state NMR spectra show broad lines, and therefore, extracting detailed structural information is a challenging task. In this context, solid state (SS) NMR has the ability to distinguish between a minute amount of polymorphic forms, conformational changes, and the number of non-equivalent molecules in an asymmetric unit of a crystal lattice, and to provide both qualitative as well as quantitative analytical data with a short-range order. Therefore, SS NMR has continued to evolve as an indispensable tool for structural analysis and gave birth to a new field called NMR crystallography. Solid state cross polarization (CP) and high resolution (HR) magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy has been used to study weak interactions in polymer gels. However, the application of SS NMR spectroscopy to study gels derived from low molecular weight gelators has been limited until recently. In this review, we will focus on the importance of solid state NMR spectroscopy in understanding and elucidating the structure of supramolecular gels derived from low molecular weight gelators with selected examples.

Graphical abstract: Solid state NMR studies of gels derived from low molecular mass gelators

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
23 Apr 2016
Accepted
16 Jun 2016
First published
17 Jun 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2016,12, 6015-6026

Solid state NMR studies of gels derived from low molecular mass gelators

Nonappa and E. Kolehmainen, Soft Matter, 2016, 12, 6015 DOI: 10.1039/C6SM00969G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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