This book provides a physics-oriented introduction to organogels with a comparison to polymer thermoreversible gels whenever relevant. The past decade has seen the development of a wide variety of newly-synthesized molecules that can spontaneously self-assemble or crystallize from their organic or aqueous solutions to produce fibrillar networks, namely organogels, with potential applications in organic electronics, light harvesting, bio-imaging, non-linear optics, and the like. This compact volume presents a detailed outlook of these novel molecular systems with special emphasis upon their thermodynamics, morphology, molecular structure, and rheology. The definition of these complex systems is also tackled, as well as the role of the solvent. The text features numerous temperature-phase diagrams for a variety of organogels as well as illustrations of their structures at the microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic level. A review of some potential applications is provided including hybrid functional materials with polymers and with carbon nanotubes. Throughout, discussions of theoretical developments and experimental advances are written at a level suitable for beginning graduate students through practicing researchers.

Crystallisable polymers represent a large share of the polymers used for manufacturing a wide variety of objects, and consequently have received continuous attention from scientists these past 60 years.
Molecular compounds from crystallisable polymers, particularly from synthetic polymers, are receiving growing interest due to their potential application in the making of new materials such as multiporous membranes capable of capturing large particles as well as small pollutant molecules. The present book gives a detailed description of these promising systems.
The first chapter is devoted to the presentation of important investigational techniques and some theoretical approaches. The second chapter is devoted to biopolymers, the first polymers known to produce molecular compounds, chiefly with water. The third chapter deals with synthetic polymers where compound formation is either due to hydrogen-bonding or to electrostatic interactions. The fourth chapter describes intercalates and clathrates systems for which compound formation is mainly due to a molecular recognition process.
- First book on the subject
- Gives a short but exhaustive description of investigational tools
- Covers both biopolymers and synthetic polymers
- Uses temperature-concentration phase diagrams abundantly for describing the systems
- Describes systems from the nano to the microscopic level, including mechanical properties