The Schiff base ligand DS2 (terephthalaldehyde bis-nicotinoyl hydrazone), containing two pyridine rings, was able to form stimulus responsive metallogels with AgNO3 in several pure or mixed solvents at room temperature. The forming mechanism of these metallogels has been investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), mass spectrometry (MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a possible structure evolution process for the metallogels was proposed. Furthermore, rheological measurement has indicated that DS2-Ag metallogel showed a fully reversible thixotropic property. The results have demonstrated that simple Schiff base ligands and metal ions could be used to fabricate metallogels through in situ formation of coordination polymers, and this kind of novel soft materials possess a lot of promising properties for potential applications.

metallogel; coordination polymer; self-assembly; thixotropic property