Thermoreversible gelation of triblock copolymers in o-xylene

The self-association of syndiotactic polymethyl methacrylate (sPMMA) outer blocks in MBM triblock copolymers in o-xylene is presented. The dynamic properties of binary MBM/o-xylene system have been studied as a function of temperature, concentration and molecular weight of triblock copolymers. The scaling exponent is in good agreement with the predictions of the scalar percolation theory and with experimental measurements for chemical gelation, although functionality and size of the cross-linking entities are quite different in chemical and physical gels.