We experimentally study heat transport in a gelatin solution near a reversible sol-gel transition point where viscosity strongly depends on temperature. We visualize the temperature field and velocity field using thermochromic liquid crystals and polystyrene latex particles, respectively. During the initial stages of heating, we find that heat transport undergoes a dynamical transition from conductive to convective. Subsequently, during later stages, we observe that the transport dynamics are much more complex than conventional thermal convections. At the sample’s surface we observe the formation of stagnant domains, which lack fluid flow. Their formation is not due to the effects of local cooling. We determine that it is the dynamics of these stagnant domains that induce convective-conductive-convective transitions.

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The formation of a transient stagnant domain in the presence of thermal convection was previously reported near the sol-gel transition temperature of a gelatin solution. The transient stagnant domain is observed near a critical Rayleigh number where a "roll" pattern is usually stable. It is important to understand the origin of the transient stagnant domain formation since it induces a large deformation of convection patterns; the nature of the formation of the transient stagnant domain remains unclear. Here, we observe thermal convection using several different fluids and find that stagnant domain formation is ubiquitous in two component mixtures. In addition, we find that difference in viscosity between the two components is crucial for transient stagnant domain formation, more so than the concentration gradient induced by the temperature gradient.

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