Gel
Gel
Gel (/dʒɛl/), from the French gelée meaning "jelly", is a semi-solid, jelly-like substance that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state.
Etymology
The term "gel" is derived from the French word gelée, which means "jelly" or "frozen". It was first used in the 19th century to describe substances that have a jelly-like consistency.
Types of Gels
There are several types of gels, including:
- Hydrogel: A network of polymer chains that are hydrophilic, sometimes found as a colloidal gel in which water is the dispersion medium.
- Organogel: A non-crystalline, non-glassy thermoreversible (thermoplastic) solid material composed of a liquid organic phase entrapped in a three-dimensionally cross-linked network.
- Aerogel: A synthetic porous ultralight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component for the gel has been replaced with a gas.
Medical Uses
Gels are often used in medicine for a variety of purposes. For example, Ultrasound gel is used to aid in the transmission of ultrasonic waves. Hydrogel is used in dressings to promote wound healing, and Electrophoresis gel is used in laboratories to separate DNA, RNA, or protein molecules.
Related Terms
- Colloid: A mixture in which one substance of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance.
- Polymer: A large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits, known as monomers.
- Viscosity: A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. It describes the internal friction of a moving fluid.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Gel
- Wikipedia's article - Gel
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