SynopsisSteady-state and pulsed NMR techniques have been used to investigate molecular motion in sols and gels of agarose. In passing through the sol-gel transition, the molecular mobility of water molecules is reduced only by a small amount, whereas motion of the polymer chains is greatly attenuated. The results are discussed in terms of the network theory of gelation, with references to the role of water in the process and the nature of the "junction zones" between polymer chains. Tz and line-width measurements are dominated by exchange broadening. The effects of exchange rate and differences in relaxation time between the exchanging sites are discussed. The temperature hyst,eresis behavior of agarose gels ha8 been investigated and the effects of "ageing" correlated with changes in nuclear relaxation times. The synergistic increase in gel strength obtained on adding locust bean gum (LBG) to agarose has been investigated. The results indicate that LBG does not form double-helix junctions and may decrease rates of gelation by steric effects. At high agarose concentration, the LBG remains mainly in solution in interstitial water, but a t low agarose concentration, it is suggested that the LBG can link gel aggregates together into a self-supporting structure, producing a synergistic increase in gel strength. Comparisons have been made between the nature of the agarose-LBG interaction and agarose-cellulose interactions in biological systems.

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