Lack of syneresis during gelation of dense colloidal suspensions

This study reports experimental results about the shrinkage of particle networks produced by pH-induced destabilization of dense colloidal suspensions. The resulting solid networks exhibit no syneresis effects, at least prior to aging of the gel. From this lack of syneresis it is concluded that the solidification in wet particle systems either is not purely determined by energy (but is also influenced by entropic effects) or cannot be explained within the framework of (static) equilibrium thermodynamics at all. (C) 2000 Academic Press.