pubs.acs.org/Langmuir © 2009 American Chemical Society
Metastability and Sol Phases: Two Keys for the Future of Molecular Gels?† P. Terech CEA-G, INAC-SPrAM-LASSO 17, rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France Received March 17, 2009 The future of molecular gels may rely on a deeper theoretical understanding of the gel-to-solid phase-separation process that usually limits the lifetime of molecular gels. Stable sol phases, when available, can be the appropriate vectors to transfer the 1D self-assembled and functional morphologies to solid substrates that may be used for technological devices.
The intense activity in fundamental research focusing on molecular gels and their self-assembled fibrillar networks (SAFINs) was mainly concerned these last two decades with structural and rheological characterizations of the novel systems. The solidlike skeleton of these dispersed and biphasic materials (concentration of the gelator being
