Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
We construct a Ginzburg-Landau model for gels undergoing spinodal decomposition in terms of the polymer volume fraction and a deformation tensor. We numerically demonstrate that the domain growth is extremely slowed down in late stages, where the surface tension force, which drives the coarsening in usual fluids, is cancelled by the elastic force. The patterns closely resemble those observed in highly viscoelastic, asymmetric binary mixtures.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Ōnuki et al. (1999) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: