Removing water from a gel

Because the surface tension will collapse the gel into a booger. The usual method is to heat the gel above the triple point of water, where the meniscus disappears, and then dry it out.

Cheers,

Phil Hobbs

Diffusivity of water (or any other solvent molecule) depends on the local concentration of the water in the polymer. The higher the water level, the greater the diffusivity, or in your case, the lower the water concentration, the lower the diffusivity. So, the more water you remove, the more difficult it will be to remove the remaining water.

John "Only wimps specialize in the general case. Real scientists pursue examples." Beresford Parlett