Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.52, No.39, 14185-14191, 2013
Tuning Organogel Properties by Controlling the Organic-Phase Composition
The gel-to-sol and sol-to-gel transition temperatures of organogels comprising mixtures at various ratios of canola and mineral oils, gelified with 12-hydroxystearic acid, have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and rheological probing. The results reveal that controlling the organic liquid phase composition in this model system allows the adjustment of the transition temperatures over a range of almost 20 degrees C and represents an easy and economical method for tuning organogel properties. Interestingly, the transition temperatures do not change linearly with the oil-phase composition, but deviate negatively toward the pure component having the lowest transition temperatures, in this case canola oil, suggesting perhaps a preferential interaction between 12-hydroxystearic acid and canola oil.