Abstract:

Using rheometry and light scattering, we have studied the viscoelasticity of gels formed by the kinetically arrested phase separation in an emulsion-polymer mixture; to prevent the gels From collapsing under their own weight, we have used an isopycnic solvent. At constant osmotic pressure (set by the polymer concentration) and droplet volume fractions phi well, above the gelation transition, we find the elastic modulus to increase roughly linearly with phi, indicating an entropic elasticity based on the cluster packing.

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