*2.5. Dynamic Viscoelasticity*

Dynamic oscillatory rheology measurements were used to monitor the viscoelastic characteristics of the gels. Small amplitude oscillatory shear measurements were conducted in triplicate in a controlled stress rheometer (RheoStress 600, Haake, Vreden, Germany) using serrated parallel plate geometry (diameter 35 mm) and a 1.5 mm gap. Surface geometry was covered with paraffin oil to prevent moisture loss. Samples were rested in the rheometer device for 5 min (20 ◦C) before rheological testing to temperature equilibration. Initially, stress sweep tests were run at 1 Hz, with the shear stress of the input signal varying from 0.1 to 100 Pa to find the linear viscoelastic region. The mechanical spectra of all samples were assessed through frequency sweep tests performed from 0.1 to 10 Hz (20 ◦C, 10 Pa) within the linear viscoelastic region previously defined. Experimental storage (G ) and loss (G") moduli (Pa) data versus frequency (f, Hz) were fitted using well-known power models reported elsewhere [20], where α , α", b , and b" are the corresponding fitting parameters (Equations (2) and (3)).

$$\mathbf{G}' \text{ (f)} = \alpha' \text{ f}^{\text{b}'} \tag{2}$$

$$\mathbf{G''}\left(\mathbf{f}\right) = \boldsymbol{\alpha''}\,\mathbf{f}\,^{\mathbf{b''}}\tag{3}$$
