Cardanol-based supramolecular gels

With the increasing interest in the development of new materials from bio-renewable resources seen in the last couple of decades, great emphasis has been put in the use of bio-renewable materials as building blocks for the preparation of bio-based polymers and composites. Lately, cardanol, a phenol derived from extracts of cashew nut shells, has gained attention due to its abundance, lack of competing applications, and great potential for the preparation of supramolecular structures through various routes. In this chapter, an initial overview of supramolecular gels is presented, covering background information on the terminology, chemical structure, properties, and the starting materials used in their synthesis. A section is dedicated to the latest advancements of cardanol-based gels, followed by a section describing applications involving cardanol-based gels and related self-assembled materials.