Gels from a semifluorinated n-alkane in fluorinated solvents as a probe for intermolecular interactions

Diblock semifluorinated n-alkanes can form aggregates and gels in fluorinated solvents. We have investigated the thermal behavior of binary mixtures comprising F(CF2)8(CH2)16H and fluorinated solvents. The solvents were perfluorohexane, perfluoroheptane, perfluorooctane, perfluorooctyl bromide, perfluorodecalin, and perfluorotributylamine. The phase diagrams were used to calculate the activity coefficients of the two components and the main excess thermodynamic functions. The solubility and self-assembly behavior of F8H16 in the fluorinated solvents are related to the different solute–solvent dispersion interactions that depend on the polarizabilities and ionization potentials of the interacting species, and on the structural properties of the solvent.

Graphical abstractThermally reversible gel from a semifluorinated alkane (F8H16) in a fluorocarbon (perfluorooctane). The semifluorinated alkane forms elongated anisotropic aggregates, and the solvent remains entrapped in the tridimensional network.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide