We present a simple and cost-effective rheometer for fast and reliable characterization of complex liquids that uses a small amount of fluid (i.e. few-milligram) and is capable of performing experiments in parallel to maximize data production rate. The innovative apparatus is based on the optical measurement of the flow rate of a polymer flowing under the action of a pressurized gas. Fast operations are accessible by using microcapillaries inserted in a metal chamber. The reduction of experimental time is a relevant feature aiming at High Throughput-Rheological-Experimentation. Fast measurement also minimizes thermal degradation, an important aspect when characterizing degradable polymers. The proposed microcapillary rheometer (μCR) allows for an optimal control of the polymer temperature and flow conditions on several decades of shear rates using from 2 up to no more than 50 milligrams of polymer in a fast and simple way. Furthermore, the flexibility of the device design also allows for the characterization of other properties, such as surface tension, contact angle, and (possible) melt fracture. The oral presentation at ACS Spring 2022 will illustrate the design of the microrheometer, and the nonlinear rheological behaviour of olefin block copolymers (OBC) with different comonomer concentration aiming at the investigation of the effect of polymer structure on the melt fracture and processability.

Characterization of microliter sized polymers aiming at high throughput-rheological-xeperimentation

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.