A quite simple, achiral benzo-21-crown-7 bis-urea low-molecular weight gelator assembles into helical fibers, which further develop into a stable gel in acetonitrile. The gel-sol transition can be controlled by different molecular recognition events. With the gelator, potassium ions, a cryptand, secondary amines, an acid and a base, a number of different systems can be designed which behave as logic gates. They all contain the gelator and a subset of the other components. Two input signals determine the sol-gel transition as the output. Depending on the choice of components, NOT, OR, NOR, AND and NAND gates can be realized. Thus, the gel-sol transition as a property of the whole system can be influenced in a quite complex manner.

Systems chemistry: Building logic gates based on the gel-sol transition of a crown-ether-functionalized bis-urea gelator

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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