The incorporation of micro- and millifluidic devices within small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) synchrotron beamlines has become increasingly popular over the last decade as it allows fast, time-resolved experiments to be performed with small sample quantities under a range of different flow profiles. Moreover, a recent progress made for laboratory SAXS instruments including three-dimensional multilayered X-ray mirrors, high flux liquid metal X-ray sources and pixel detectors performing within a wide dynamic range of scattered X-ray signals, makes possible these fluidic devices to be used in laboratory conditions. The work presented will outline how a commercially available 3D printer can provide a variety of different geometries for a millifluidic device in an efficient, reproducible and an inexpensive manner. The importance of SAXS and WAXS as techniques to measure the effects of different shear and elongational flow profiles on the molecular structure of samples will also be explored with a number of examples including colloidal particle dispersions and polymer/copolymer solutions. Particular attention will be paid to this combination of rheology and SAXS techniques for studying the structural changes that cellulosic solutions and dispersions undergo in different flow geometries. The work on millifluidic devices provides a basis of knowledge for the incorporation of this sample stage available for all users at the Diamond Synchrotron (Oxford, UK) SAXS/WAXS beamlines and the laboratory SAXS/WAXS beamline at The University of Sheffield (Sheffield, UK).

Fabricating millifluidic devices for SAXS/WAXS using 3D printing; a quick and inexpensive method to exploit many geometries

255th National Meeting (2018)

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