Evaluation of Gelation Property of Rice Bran Wax using Hansen Solubility Parameter

Abstract

Rice bran wax（RBW）formed gels with long-chain alcohols（from 1-hexanol to 1-decanol）. The gelation property of RBW was evaluated using Hansen solubility parameters. It was speculated that the main driving force for gel formation of RBW is van der Waals forces between RBWs due to moderate solvophobic effects from the gelling solvent. FT-IR spectra and powder XRD measurements of xerogels prepared from 1-heptanol indicated that the alkyl chains of RBW were arranged in trans-form and had a close-packed structure. Gel melting point measurements indicated that the gelation of RBW was characteristic of supramolecular gels in which entropy loss was compensated by enthalpy.