The first of these systems, a biopolymer gel, involves the thermoreversible gelation of aqueous gelatin solutions to form a physical gel, whereas the other systems considered herein involve the formation of chemical gels featuring permanent cross-linked branching networks. The second system is a commercial silicone dielectric gel (SDG) which is used in the production of electronic products created by industrial printing processes. The third experimental system is a fibrin gel formed by the thrombin-induced polymerisation of fibrinogen molecules. The gel network product in the latter case forms the principal microstructural component of a blood clot [8]. The latter case is particularly interesting as the critical-gel which is established at the GP serves as a ‘template’ for the ensuing development of microstructure and associated rheological properties in the post-GP phase of fibrin clot evolution [9].
