Glasses & Other Complex Fluids

Catalog description

Complex fluids span the range between the traditional Newtonian fluid (where shear stress is proportional to strain rate) and linear response solids (where shear stress is proportional to strain). In all cases, non-trivial relaxation mechanisms introduce a range of relaxation times and extreme temperature sensitivity in the a Materials’ properties. Glasses are the most dramatic examples of this class of Materials although all polymeric Materials show complex behavior under temperature and time scales in typical applications. This course introduces the techniques used to quantify the thermal and temporal response of common complex fluids focusing primarily on rheometry and calorimetry. In addition, theories linking evolving microstructures are employed to explain the observed macroscopic responses.