The design of low molecular mass gelators remains a challenge in synthetic chemistry. So far, only a limited number of gelators have emerged that are capable of gelating a variety of solvents. 

Motivated by the need to develop novel gels with tunable functionalities, scientists in Germany and The Netherlands have constructed stable organometallic building blocks that can easily be incorporated into gels. 

Karl Heinz Dotz and colleagues' approach is based on a polar titanocene unit that is able to strongly interact with polar solvents via its Lewis-acidic site. This causes gelation of the solvents along with an unusual structural motif in the final gel.

'By exploiting stable titanocene building blocks with these highly attractive features, we have been able to develop a unique strategy for the preparation of novel gels with tailored properties,' said Dotz. 

In the future, the team hope to use metals other than titanium to synthesise these types of gelators. They believe that incorporating organometallic functionality into soft materials such as gels offers a rewarding prospect of designing and using the gels as a selective medium for catalytic transformations, molecular recognition and sensoring. 

Jenna Wilson