Viscoelastic behaviour of rapid and slow self-healing hydrogels formed by densely branched arabinoxylans from Plantago ovata seed mucilage

We report rheological characterisation of hydrogels formed by highly substituted brush-like arabinoxylans from Plantago ovata seed mucilage. Two arabinoxlyan fractions with similar molecular weight and linkage compositions are chosen to form gels distinct properties but a network structure. Small large amplitude oscillatory shear rheology is used characterise the sol-gel transition as function temperature concentration. Differences in gelation two found be associated different proportion ‘slow’- ‘fast’-dissociating junctions stabilised hydrogen bonds, playing an important role rapid self-healing gel. Based on dependence storage modulus time–temperature superposition principle combination Arrhenius equation, activation energies junction zone dissociation estimated 402–480 kJ/mol 97–144 for ‘slow’ ‘fast’ types, respectively.