Hybrid thermoreversible gels from covalent polymers and organogels.

This paper reports on experiments intended for investigating the feasibility of preparing hybrid thermoreversible gels from covalent polymers and noncovalent self-assembling pi-conjugated molecules. The formation and the degree of dispersion of these hybrid gels have been studied with polystyrenes of various tacticities and oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) molecules (OPV) in different nonpolar organic solvents. Detailed investigations of the systems have been carried out by DSC, SAXS, and AFM. It is shown that no liquid-liquid phase separation is involved, indicating that the systems are highly compatible, and that the growth of one type of gel does not interfere with the other. These studies reveal that the resultant hybrid gels are composed of the intermingled fibrillar architectures of both gels.