Back هلام Arabic Xel AST Гел Bulgarian Gel BS Gel (col·loide) Catalan Gel Czech Gel Danish Gel German Γέλη Greek Ĝelo EO
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A gel is a semi-solid that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough.[1][2] Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady state, although the liquid phase may still diffuse through this system.[3]
Gels are mostly liquid by mass, yet they behave like solids because of a three-dimensional cross-linked network within the liquid. It is the cross-linking within the fluid that gives a gel its structure (hardness) and contributes to the adhesive stick (tack). In this way, gels are a dispersion of molecules of a liquid within a solid medium. The word gel was coined by 19th-century Scottish chemist Thomas Graham by clipping from gelatine.[4]
The process of forming a gel is called gelation.
- ^ Khademhosseini A.; Demirci U. (2016). Gels Handbook: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications. World Scientific Pub Co Inc. ISBN 9789814656108.
- ^ Seiffert S., ed. (2015). Supramolecular Polymer Networks and Gels. Springer. ASIN B00VR5CMW6.
- ^ Ferry, John D. (1980). Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0471048941.
- ^ Harper D. "Online Etymology Dictionary: gel". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-12-09.