Nonlinear rheological properties and stability of dibenzylidene sorbitol fiber networks in poly(propylene oxide)

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Dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS) is known to gel organic liquids and polymers such as poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) by forming long fibers and fiber networks. Potential applications of these networks depend on their ability to withstand large deformations without significant morphological changes. Therefore, we studied the nonlinear rheological properties of the DBS fiber network in PPO for different DBS concentrations. We found that the concentration dependence of critical deformation (transition from linear to nonlinear viscoelastic region) and gel strength (G′ plateau in the linear region) can be explained on the basis of a model for densely cross-linked fiber gels (MacKintosh et al., Phys Rev Lett 75:4425–4428, 1995). Performing periodic strain sweeps, we found that the decrease in gel strength during the deformation cycles can be ascribed to reversible fiber coarsening. Additionally, start-up experiments showed a strong shear thinning behavior, which is in quantitative agreement with the SGM model (Sollich, Phys Rev E 58:738–759, 1998).