Structure and rheology of AOT microemulsions: Viscosity anomalies, fluctuations, and associating polymers

he structure and rheology of neat and polymer modified water in oil (L;Reversible networks have been created by combining PEO/PI/PEO and PEO/PPO/PEO triblock copolymers with AOT/water/decane microemulsions, implying association of endblocks with water cores and the formation of bridges between droplets. Adding JM2 (2.2/21.3/2.2 kg/mol) and JM3 (7.9/55.8/7.9 kg/mol) to microemulsions at fixed ;Upon dilution with decane reversible networks constituted of JM2 or JM3 and AOT/water/decane display (a) a phase separation into a clear low viscosity phase and turbid high viscosity phase, (b) a modulus that remains constant or falls gradually at first but eventually decreases monotonically to the phase boundary, and (c) a relative viscosity that depicts a maximum before decreasing by two orders of magnitude to the phase boundary. Universal plots were obtained by scaling the modulus on ;At fixed volume fraction of droplets,...