Structure versus rheological properties in fibrillar thermoreversible gelsfrom polymers and biopolymers

This paper discusses the evolution of the elastic modulus as a function of polymer concentration in light of the molecular structure for a series of t hermoreversible gels prepared from synthetic polymers and biopolymers. The gels under consideration all possess fibrillar morphology. It will be shown that Jones and Marques' theory derived for rigid networks is quite suitabl e for casting some light on the structure-property relation rather than the percolation approach. (C) 2000 The Society of Rheology. [S0148-6055(00)011 04-4].