ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the experimental situation by describing an investigation into the effect of adding polymers to the model clay system, the n-butylammonium vermiculites. The addition of polymer has no effect on the phase transition temperature between the gel and tactoid phases of the clay system. The chapter shows states that various uncharged polymers were observed which included polyethylene oxide (PEO) that later became the model system. The effect of PEO on the phase transition temperature Tc between the gel phase and tactoid phase of the system was observed for PVME. Hence, there was no effect at volume fractions up to 4%. The uniaxial stress sharpens up the diffraction patterns and decreases the d-values, as seen in the effects of polymer addition. The chapter concludes that there are three-component system that has the equilibrium effects and that the clay-polymer gels have a well-defined equilibrium structure.
