Large-amplitude oscillatory shear: The exemplary nonlinear rheological protocol

Many methods for processing soft materials in industry, the environment, and biology involve large and rapid deformations before reaching steady flow, or may never reach a state of steady stable flow. It is therefore the transient nonlinear rheological properties that ultimately determine the material behavior during the process. Having an accurate way of determining the process-relevant rheology is crucial to making defect-free products and reducing downtime. Large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) has emerged as an ideal experiment for measuring nonlinear rheological responses because it is possible to change both the strength of the flow and the timescale over which the flow occurs by independently controlling the amplitude and frequency. A range of processing conditions can therefore be mimicked with LAOS.

This presentation will introduce state-of-the-art experimental and analysis techniques for obtaining high quality results and extracting the most out of your LAOS data. A range of soft materials, from concentrated colloidal suspensions to self-assembled surfactant systems, and concentrated polymeric systems will be presented as exemplary soft matter.