My maize and blue brick road to physical organic chemistry in materials

• Anne J. McNeil

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 229–238, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.24

• perspective concludes with some predictions about where molecular gels, as well as my personal and professional life, are headed. Keywords: molecular gel; organic chemistry; organic materials; self-assembly; supramolecular chemistry; Review One of my earliest memories involves pouring water down our

• -aspect-ratio crystals and gel fibers may be similar and guided by strong, directional intermolecular interactions. Overall, this approach for identifying new gelators should be generalizable, and therefore useful for developing new molecular gel-based applications. Alongside these fundamental studies, we

• this new design strategy will transform gelator discovery from its current random screening to a more rational approach. With this streamlined approach to identifying new gelators, both the number and utility of molecular gel-based applications should increase. In addition, we have performed both