Education Commons^™

Sol-Gel Phase Transitions In Thermoreversible Gels: Onset Of Gelation And Melting, Y. Liu, R.B. Pandey

Faculty Publications

A Monte Carlo simulation model is propsed to study the phase transition and the structural evolution of thermoreversible gels with the coexistence of phase separation and gelation processes. Our model includes the mobility of all the species and the reversibilty of bonds of the clusters formed due to cross-linking reactions. These features provide a more realistic depiction of a polymer-solvent system. We attempt to elucidate the effects of interactions, solvents, polymer fraction, etc. on the phase behaviors of the thermoreversible gel. Sol-to-gel transition is studied in detail as a function of temperature, and the related critical exponents are evaluated. Two …