Gelled Complex Fluids: Combining Unique Structures with Mechanical Stability

Abstract

Gelled complex fluids are soft materials in which the microstructure of the complex fluid is combined with the mechanical stability of a gel. To obtain a gelled complex fluid one either adds a gelator to a complex fluid or replaces the solvent in a gel by a complex fluid. The most prominent example of a "natural" gelled complex fluid is the cell. There are various strategies by which one can form a gelled complex fluid; one such strategy is orthogonal self-assembly, that is, the independent but simultaneous formation of two coexisting self-assembled structures within one system. The aim of this Review is to describe the structure and potential applications of various man-made gelled complex fluids and to clarify whether or not the respective system is formed by orthogonal self-assembly.

Keywords: complex fluids; gels; self-assembly; soft anisotropic materials.