Solvent effects on the kinetics of gelation and the crosslink density of polysiloxane gels
Date
2005
Authors
Markovic, N.
Dutta, N.K.
Williams, D.
Matisons, J.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Silicon Chemistry, 2005; 2(5-6):223-233
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
A wide range of hydrocarbons were rapidly gelled by adding a polysiloxane copolymer in the presence of divinylbenzene and a platinum catalyst. The gel point was measured over a range of concentrations for hydrocarbons/solvents and organogels, using three separate methods: rheology, visual (tilt-tube) and FTIR. As the fraction of solvent was increased, the rate of reaction decreased, leading to an increase in the gelation time. The absolute value of the gel point depends upon the techniques used to measure it. For any particular system the gel point values always followed the order: rheology > visual > FTIR. The crosslink densities of the gel systems were determined using both swelling and thermomechanical analysis. The swelling measurements confirmed that the addition of large quantities of solvent markedly reduced the crosslink density of the obtained chemical gel networks, which helped in designing gels with suitable critical strength for effective field work. Also the effectiveness of gelation with the proposed gelling system for different hydrocarbons/solvents was evaluated, and discussed in relation to their dielectric properties. © Springer + Business Media, Inc. 2005.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
Copyright status unknown