title: Laponite as a rheology modifier of alginate solutions: Physical gelation and aging evolution.
abstract: The rheological behavior of alginate and Laponite/alginate solutions was studied. It was observed that the Cross viscosity model successfully describes the steady-state shear behavior of this polysaccharide. The scaling behavior analyzed for the entangled regime is in good agreement with polyelectrolyte solutions (Ge∼cp3/2), with interactions generated between the alginate and the charged surfaces of the Laponite platelets. Therefore, the effect of Laponite as a rheology modifier is influenced by the alginate concentration. Higher alginate concentrations hindered the formation of the house of cards microstructure. Frequency sweep tests were performed to analyze the transition from solid-like to liquid-like behavior in a solid-like dominated domain. Soft physical gels were obtained at low alginate concentrations. The gel point was determined (1.65wt.% of alginate and 2wt.% of Laponite) through the Kramers-Krönig damping factor, and time sweep tests revealed the evolution of the storage (G') and loss modulus (G″) as functions of the waiting time (tw). The growing elasticity revealed that Laponite/alginate solutions undergo aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas CEP 13083-860, Brazil. Electronic address: josedavila@fem.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dávila
authors.affiliation: Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas CEP 13083-860, Brazil. Electronic address: madavila@fem.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Marcos Akira
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: d'Ávila
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D005782:Gels; D008956:Models, Chemical; D044367:Phase Transition; D012212:Rheology; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D005782:Gels; D017640:Silicates; D012996:Solutions; C524813:laponite
keywords: Alginate; Gel point; Laponite; Polysaccharide; Rheology modifier