A 15-crown-5-ether-based supramolecular hydrogel with selection ability for potassium cations <i>via</i> gelation and colour change.

Chabatake, Yuta; Tanigawa, Tomoki; Hirayama, Yuto; Taniguchi, Ryo; Ito, Akitaka; Takahashi, Kiyonori; Noro, Shin-Ichiro; Akutagawa, Tomoyuki et al. · Soft Matter · 2024

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

We developed a novel supramolecular hydrogelator possessing a benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) moiety. The hydrogelator can detect colourless potassium cations (K<sup>+</sup>) <i>via</i> easily readable gelation and colour change arising from a change in the molecular assembling ability through host-guest interactions between B15C5 and K<sup>+</sup>, which afford a B15C5/K<sup>+</sup>/B15C5 sandwich complex.