Fractal Morphogenesis and Interacting Processes in Gelation

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Abstract
In the self-assembly of a hydrogel, we observe the simultaneous development of a self-similar structure of cross-linked molecules and of a larger scale structure of domains resulting from spinodal demixing. The fractal dimension of the smaller scale structure grows initially, then it freezes-in at the gel point, which can thus be operationally defined in terms of geometric (fractal), not only of rheological properties. These observations highlight novel aspects of kinetic competition and of multiple path interactions of processes in supramolecular self-assembly.

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