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Reversible thermal gelation in soft spheres
M Kapnistos1, D Vlassopoulos, G Fytas
1FO.R.T.H., Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Physical Review Letters
|November 1, 2000
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.