Capillary gels formed by spatially progressive polymerization using migrating initiator

摘要

Gels are formed in capillary tubes by electrophoretically drawing a charged polymerization initiator into a capillary tube pre-filled with monomer, crosslinking agent and catalyst. The rate of travel of the initiator is slow enough to maintain a sharp leading edge or front, thereby causing polymerization to occur in a progressive manner from one end of the capillary to the other. The shrinkage inherent in the polymerization reaction is thus compensated by fluid movement ahead of the traveling initiator front, and discontinuities in the gel which would otherwise be formed are avoided.