Viscous sintering phenomena in liquid-liquid dispersions

We present experimental evidence for viscous sintering phenomena in a gel f ormed by highly viscous emulsion droplets. When a rupturing agent is added to the initially stable emulsion, a gel forms, which further contracts by p reserving the geometry of the container. The initial stages of densificatio n (up to 60%) follow very well the "cylindrical model" for viscous sinterin g, but deviate at the final stages of densification. The observed inverse d ependence of the contraction rate on viscosity is consistent with the visco us sintering theory.