Evidence of percolative phenomena in a lecithin-based gel

The structure of the gel-phase, observed in a number of lecithin-in-oil microemulsions after addition of water, is the topic of a controversy actually taking place in the literature. In this paper, we will show how the dynamical properties of water confined in the inner core of the micelles, as investigated by QENS and INS, turn out to be inconsistent with the usually proposed model of entangled (not interconnected) polymer-like micelles. A percolated structure of branched cylindrical aggregates could agree with the presented data. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.