Abstract
The formation of thermoreversible (physical) gels in a moderately dilute solution of a low molecular weight poly(β-hydroxybutyrate), PHB, in dimethylformamide, DMF, has been studied by different techniques in order to provide a preliminary understanding of the molecular processes at the basis of the gelation phenomenon of this polymer. The characterisation of gel phase formation has been carried out with several experimental approaches aiming at elucidating the effect of the thermal history and the kinetics of this process. Scattering data have been taken as a measure of the fraction of gelling crystalline aggregates formed as a function of time and analysed according to the Avrami equation. Characterisation of the gel-sol transition temperature(s) and energetics has been carried out by optical methods (e.g., turbidity) and by calorimetry as a function of temperature. The heat associated with the disruption and the formation of the gel has been measured by high-sensitivity differential scanning microcalorimetry.
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