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Gelled Complex Fluids: Combining Unique Structures with Mechanical Stability
Author(s) -
Stubenrauch Cosima,
Gießelmann Frank
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201506603
Subject(s) - complex fluid , materials science , rheology , composite material , thermodynamics , physics
Gelled complex fluids are soft materials in which the microstructure of the complex fluid is combined with the mechanical stability of a gel. To obtain a gelled complex fluid one either adds a gelator to a complex fluid or replaces the solvent in a gel by a complex fluid. The most prominent example of a “natural” gelled complex fluid is the cell. There are various strategies by which one can form a gelled complex fluid; one such strategy is orthogonal self‐assembly, that is, the independent but simultaneous formation of two coexisting self‐assembled structures within one system. The aim of this Review is to describe the structure and potential applications of various man‐made gelled complex fluids and to clarify whether or not the respective system is formed by orthogonal self‐assembly.