New composite thixotropic hydrogel composed of a polymer hydrogelator and a nanosheet. Issue 12 (13th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ohsedo, Yutaka; Oono, Masashi; Saruhashi, Kowichiro; Watanabe, Hisayuki; Miyamoto, Nobuyoshi
• Is Part Of: Royal Society open science. Volume 4:Issue 12(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-12-13
• Subjects: molecular gel -- composite -- polymer hydrogelator -- nanosheet; Science -- Periodicals; 500
• DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171117
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2054-5703

Abstract

Abstract : A composite gel composed of a water-soluble aromatic polyamide hydrogelator and the nanosheet Laponite®, a synthetic layered silicate, was produced and found to exhibit thixotropic behaviour. Whereas the composite gel contains the gelator at the same concentration as the molecular gel made by the gelator only, the composite gel becomes a softer thixotropic gel compared to the molecular gel made by the gelator only. The reason for this could be that bundles of polymer gelator may be loosened and the density of the polymer network increased in the presence of Laponite.