Self-organization of 3,4,5-tris(octyloxy)benzamide in solution and embedding of the aggregates into methacrylate resins

The physical gelation of organic solutions of 3,4,5-tris(octyloxy)benzamide at ambient temperature, subsequent to shock-freezing in liquid nitrogen is reported. Microscopic investigations of the morphology of these “supramolecular organogels” suggests the occurrence of networks of rod-like crystals with diameters between 0.1–1 μm. The fine structure of the gel was shown to depend on the solvent used. Taking monomer/crosslinker mixtures as solvents, the gel structures could be permanently fixed by low-temperature curing. Comparing the morphology of the dried liquid gels and the polymerized gels, no change due to the hardening of the matrix have been found. The supramolecular aggregates of the benzamide seem to contain considerable amounts of monomers, because the observed melting temperature depression can not be explained by the finite-size of the crystals.