Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, Vol.35, No.17, 2787-2793, 1997
Observations on the Thermoreversible Gelation of 2-Directional Arborols in Water-Methanol Mixtures
Reversible gels of two-directional cascade polymers with hydrophilic groups covalently attached by an hydrophobic center chain were studied by light and small-angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy. The long, self-assembled fibers interact side-by-side over extended regions to form bundles. A given fiber may participate in several bundles, thus forming a three-dimensional gel network.