Difference between revisions of "Sol-Gel Transition"
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== Examples == | == Examples == | ||
− | + | You can witness the sol-gel transition by curing epoxy [1], making a dessert with gelatin, or making Jam with pectin. | |
+ | For more on gelatin: | ||
+ | http://www.gelatin.co.za/gltn1.html | ||
+ | |||
+ | For more on Jam and the pectin which make's it undergo a sol-gel transition: | ||
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF8/887.html | http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF8/887.html | ||
http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hypec.html#fun | http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hypec.html#fun |
Revision as of 15:54, 4 November 2009
Definition
The sol-gel transition (also known as gelation) is simply a change from a liquid state to a gel state. In the liquid state, components dispersed in the liquid are relatively free to move about. In the gel state, these sub-units bond together to form a network extending throughout the whole substance (see figure 1). This network gives the material an elasticity: a solid-like property [1, p. 95].
The composition of the sub-units and the bonds between them play an important role in the properties of the gel. [1, p. 95].
Examples
You can witness the sol-gel transition by curing epoxy [1], making a dessert with gelatin, or making Jam with pectin.
For more on gelatin: http://www.gelatin.co.za/gltn1.html
For more on Jam and the pectin which make's it undergo a sol-gel transition: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF8/887.html http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hypec.html#fun
References
[1] R. Jones, "Soft Condensed Matter," Oxford University Press Inc., New York (2002).