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Rheology and dynamics of a solvent segregation driven gel (SeedGel)

Authors :
Yuyin Xi
Ryan P. Murphy
Qingteng Zhang
Aurora Zemborain
Suresh Narayanan
Junsu Chae
Siyoung Q. Choi
Andrei Fluerasu
Lutz Wiegart
Yun Liu
Source :
Soft Matter. 19:233-244
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), 2023.

Abstract

Bicontinuous structures promise applications in a broad range of research fields, such as energy storage, membrane science, and biomaterials. Kinetically arrested spinodal decomposition is found responsible for stabilizing such structures in different types of materials. A recently developed solvent segregation driven gel (SeedGel) is demonstrated to realize bicontinuous channels thermoreversibly with tunable domain sizes by trapping nanoparticles in a particle domain. As the mechanical properties of SeedGel are very important for its future applications, a model system is characterized by temperature-dependent rheology. The storage modulus shows excellent thermo-reproducibility and interesting temperature dependence with the maximum storage modulus observed at an intermediate temperature range (around 28 °C). SANS measurements are conducted at different temperatures to identify the macroscopic solvent phase separation during the gelation transition, and solvent exchange between solvent and particle domains that is responsible for this behavior. The long-time dynamics of the gel is further studied by X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS). The results indicate that particles in the particle domain are in a glassy state and their long-time dynamics are strongly correlated with the temperature dependence of the storage modulus.

Details

ISSN :
17446848 and 1744683X
Volume :
19
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Soft Matter
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....b8b6ffd04830873df84852ace3593fdf
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1039/d2sm01129h