The honeycomb disorder of gelatin nanoglobules

The surface topology of thin polymer films obtained on glass from micellar solutions of gelatin samples in a mixture of isooctane – water – (bis-2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) with a variation in the average molecular weight $M$ of the polymer and a constant molar ratio [H$_2$O]/[AOT] = 40, has been studied using electron microscopy. It is shown that solutions with an initial gelatin concentration corresponding to the gelation threshold form films with a characteristic structure: polymer nanoglobuls are located in the cells of the physical network of macromolecules-the internal percolation cluster of particles. At the same time, with a decrease in $M$, the average size of the globules decreases and the degree of their polydisperity increases. The same changes are observed for network cells in which local density – density correlations weaken. The ratio of average cell sizes to nanoglobuls is independent of $M$ due to the universal fractal cluster structure of the films.