A methyl acrylate monomer MAMIS with ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) unit was synthesized.The molecular structure of MAMIS was confirmed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectrum
Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum
electrospray ionization-mass (ESI-MS) spectrum and elemental analysis.A kind of organogel with UPy units (defined as UPy-gel) was prepared through traditional radical copolymerization of MAMIS and other acrylate monomers in DMSO.The chemical composition and morphology of the UPy-gel were characterized by elemental analysis
FT-IR
and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the gels was measured by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).Compared with the oganogels without UPy units
the UPy-gel displays similar microscopic morphology and an increased Tg.The macroscopic assembly of the gels under the driving of UPy quadruple hydrogen bonding was further investigated.The results indicated that the UPy-gel pieces aggregated together in toluene
and the aggregated UPy-gels gradually separated in DMSO.This process could be repeated for many times.As increasing the content of UPy units in the gels or by using a solvent with lower polarity
the aggregation strength of the gels became higher
demonstrating the solvent-sensitivity of the gels.Driven by quadruple hydrogen bonding
the macroscopic assembly of the gels enabled the transmission of dye molecules from dyed gels to undyed ones.