Self-assembly of 2,3-dihydroxycholestane steroids into supramolecular organogels as a soft template for the in-situ generation of silicate nanomaterials.

Supramolecular gels are an important and interesting class of soft materials that show great potential for many applications. Most of them have been discovered serendipitously, and understanding the supramolecular self-assembly that leads to the formation of the gel superstructure is the key to the directed design of new organogels. We report herein the organogelating property of four stereoisomers of the simple steroid 2,3-dihydroxycholestane.