Temperature-dependent gelation process in colloidal dispersions by diffusing wave spectroscopy.

Temperature-dependent microrheology of a concentrated charge-stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) colloidal dispersion with different salt concentrations was investigated by diffusing wave spectroscopy in backscattering mode. The critical temperature where the system undergoes aggregation and gelation depends upon the particle volume fraction or salt concentration. The viscoelastic properties of the systems have been discussed using Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt models. Temperature-dependent crossover (G' = G″) frequency has been used to calculate activation energies representing a critical energy of interaction of gel formation.