Bicontinuous emulsion gels induced by partial coalescence: Kinetics and mechanism

Abstract

We describe a gelation process based on the unrelaxed coalescence of partially crystallised droplets in a primary oil-in-water emulsion. Under the effect of a gentle thermal treatment, fluid emulsions turned into hard gels whose evolution was arrested by the solid nature of the droplets. The kinetic evolution of the bulk elastic modulus G' during the thermal treatment was interpreted within the frame of percolation theory. The experimental data support the conclusion that coalescence involves irreversible bridging between crystallised and melted patches in the thin liquid films.