Organogels Fabricated from Self-Assembled Nanotubes Containing Core Substituted Perylene Diimide Derivative

Perylene-based organogels are well-known for their applications as sensors and optoelectronic materials. Among them, core-substituted perylene diimide-based organogels are rarely explored. Herein, the hierarchical self-assembly mechanism of a newly synthesized, amide-linked core-substituted perylene diimide derivative, which formed organogels in organic solvents like toluene and methyl cyclohexane (MCH), is discussed. These organogels are composed of one-dimensional molecular aggregates like nanofibers and nanotubes. Organogels composed of nanofibers are very frequent. On the contrary, for the first time, we have encountered a perylene diimide-based organogel consisting of self-assembled nanotubes. The molecular interactions, molecular packing, and rheological properties of this organogel are also discussed.