An Economical Alternative to Rheological Characterization

Rheological characterization continues to gain importance in the development of novel materials across a wide variety of industries. Historically, rheological characterization required a significant financial investment due to the necessity of costly instrumentation and trained rheologists to conduct measurements and interpret complex rheological data. Due to financial constraints, organizations often limited their data to single-point viscosity measurements that could be collected using low-cost viscometers. This article evaluates the performance of the Black Pearl Rheometer (ATS RheoSystems, A Division ofCannon Instrument Company, Bordentown, NJ) for use as an economical alternative to research-level rheometers. The Black Pearl is compared against research-level rheometers for providing multipoint viscosity and yield stress measurements.

With a list price one third to one half that of many research-level rheometers, the Black Pearl Rheometer provides a broad range of rheological measurement capabilities including material flow curves and yield stress measurements. These capabilities meet many of the needs associated with materials development across various industries. Figure 1 shows the steady shear viscosity profiles of several Cannon Instrument Company viscosity standard oils at 25 °C. The data demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the Black Pearl Rheometer, which is capable of measuring viscosities in the range of 1-25,000,000 centipoise (cPs). Figure 2 provides a direct assessment of the Black Pearl’s performance against a popular research-level rheometer. The data show excellent correlation between the steady shear viscosity profiles of standard PDMS at 25 °C obtained on the respective instruments.

 Figure 1 – Steady shear viscosity profiles on the Black Pearl Rheometer.
Figure 2 – Steady shear viscosity profile on the Black Pearl Rheometer vs the Nova Rheometer.

In addition to the single-point viscosity profiles provided by high-end viscometers, the Black Pearl Rheometer also measures temperature ramps (-20 °C to 120 °C), yield stress, and thixotropic behavior. Figure 3 demonstrates the versatility of the Black Pearl Rheometer. In this example, the Black Pearl provides highly reproducible yield stress measurements of a toothpaste formulation at 25 °C.

Figure 3 – Yield stress measurement of a toothpaste formulation on the Black Pearl Rheometer.

The data presented in this article demonstrate the ability of the Black Pearl Rheometer to perform detailed rheological characterization required for materials development efforts across a variety of industries. Coupled with the instrument’s ease of use and low cost, its performance capabilities make it an economical alternative to research-level rheometers for many characterization, R&D, and QA/QC laboratories.

Jeshwanth K. Rameshwaram, Ph.D., and Tien T. Dao, Ph.D., are with ATS RheoSystems, A Division of Cannon Instrument Company, 231 Crosswicks Rd., Bordentown, NJ 08505, U.S.A.; tel.: 609-298-2522; e-mail: [email protected]; www.atsrheosystems.com

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