Gelation and Kinetically Induced Ordering

For diffusion-controlled gelation and low droplet fraction, qg follows a power-law dependence [27]  

Rgure 3.15. Time evolution of the peak of I q) for (j) = 23%. The intensity increases exponentially with time until gelation is reached, typically in less than 2 s. (Adapted from [28].) 

Finally, an important feature of gels made of adhesive emulsions arises from the deformation of the droplets. Indeed, as the temperature is lowered the contact angles between the droplets increase [27,28] (see Chapter 2, Section 2.3). Consequently, the structure of the final floes depends on the time evolution of the strength of the adhesion. Initially, the adhesion results in the formation of a random, solid gel network in the emulsion. Further increase of adhesion causes massive fracturing of the gel, disrupting the rigidity of the structure and leading to well separated, and more compact floes [27,28]. 

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