The complexes of maleic N-monoalkylamides and aliphatic amines lead to the formation of sheet-like and fiber-shaped aggregates in diverse organic solvents. Their morphologies and microstructures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), as well as small angle X-ray diffraction (SA-XRD). The results reveal that the alkyl chain lengths of 8-12 carbons for maleic N-monoalkylamides, and 12-18 carbons for aliphatic amines, are suitable for obtaining highly efficient two-component gelators. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.