Self‐Healable, Regenerable, and Degradable Dynamic Covalent Nitroalcohol Organogels

Abstract

AbstractDynamic covalent gels are synthesized from an aromatic trialdehyde and α,ω‐dinitroalkanes via the nitroaldol reaction in organic solvents. The gelation process can be fine‐tuned by changing the starting nitroalkanes, solvents, feed concentration, catalyst loading, or reaction temperature. The resulting organogels demonstrate good structural integrity and excellent self‐healing ability. Intact xerogels are produced upon drying, without damaging the network, and the solvent‐free network can recover its gel form in the presence of an organic solvent. Furthermore, the crosslinked dynameric gel depolymerize to small molecules in response to excess nitromethane.