title: Reversible thermal gelation in soft spheres.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: FO.R.T.H., Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kapnistos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vlassopoulos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fytas
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roovers