Effective rheology mapping for characterizing polymer solutions utilizing ultrasonic spinning rheometry

We propose a practical map representation termed rheology mapping for comprehensively evaluating the dependence of viscoelasticity on applied shear deformation and shear timescale represented by oscillation frequency, utilizing ultrasonic spinning rheometry, which has excellent applicability to a wide variety of polymer solutions. The rheology mapping was applied to two typical kinds of polymer solutions. One is carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) aqueous solution, a well-known viscous and shear thinning fluid. The other is polyacrylamide (PAM) aqueous solution generally considered as a viscoelastic fluid while its viscoelasticity is difficult to be evaluated by a standard torque-type rheometer. The rheology mapping for the solutions showed notable rheological properties. The viscoelasticity of both the CMC and PAM solutions vary widely from elastic to viscous, depending on the applied shear rate, strain, and oscillation frequency. The mapping also revealed the clear dependence of the viscosity of the solutions: the CMC solutions on the shear rate and the PAM solutions on the shear strain. These results provide quantitative support of findings in other reports associating these macroscopic properties with the microscopic dynamics of polymer coils. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

In this study, a practical map representation called rheology mapping was proposed to comprehensively evaluate the dependence of viscoelasticity on applied shear deformation and shear timescale. The results showed that the viscoelasticity of polymer solutions varied widely depending on the applied shear rate, strain, and oscillation frequency. The mapping also revealed the clear dependence of viscosity on shear rate and shear strain for different solutions.