Reversible thermal gelation in soft spheres.
Upon heating, concentrated solutions of star polymers and block copolymer micelles in a good solvent, representing soft spheres, undergo a reversible gelation. This phenomenon is attributed to the formation of clusters causing a partial dynamic arrest of the swollen interpenetrating spheres at high temperatures. A phase diagram analogous to that of sterically stabilized colloids is proposed.
Kapnistos
M
M
FO.R.T.H., Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Vlassopoulos
D
D
Fytas
G
G
Mortensen
K
K
Fleischer
G
G
Roovers
J
J