Professor Liberatore: Rheology research
Rheology research projects cover topics from renewable energy to polishing. The work of our research team has led to the Rudolf Hering Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers for the best paper in environmental engineering as well as more than 10 paper and poster awards earned by undergraduate and graduate students. Our equipment and laboratory page is here, and publications are available at this link.
Biomass materials
High solids biomass slurries of corn stover, granular wood chips materials, and algae suspensions all exhibit interesting rheology. Understanding the flow of concentrated slurries and granular materials is critical to scaling up the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals.
Anion exchange membranes And Polymer materials
Linking the mechanical properties under controlled temperature and humidity conditions with conductivity and processing should produce an optimized membrane for a fuel cell. Other polymer composites and nanomaterials are also studied.
Shear thickening slurries
Fumed silica suspensions are important in toothpaste, cosmetics, and chemical mechanical polishing. Shear thickening is an increase in viscosity with increasing shear or flow that can be either beneficial (stopping bullets) or detrimental (scratch wafers for computer chips).
Clathrate hydrates
High pressure rheology allows the study of methane hydrates as these ice-like structures form, grow, aggregate, rearrange, and dissociate.
Alaska heavy oil
Relating chemistry with ambient and high pressure rheology could lead to improved heavy oil recovery and production, such as for North Slope Alaska Ugnu heavy crude oils.
Waxy oils and shear-induced phase changes
Examining wax appearance temperature as a function of shear could help improve flow assurance operations, and flow alters phase changes in materials such as fatty acid methyl esters found in biodiesel.
Cosmetics
From emulsions to lipsticks, flow and rheology, formulation, and function of complex fluids and materials related to cosmetics and personal care products are being studied.
Surfactants and adhesives
Wormlike micelles form interesting viscoelastic fluids, and polyelectrolyte complexes form gel-like adhesives that can work under water.
Polyelectrolytes and drag reducing polymers
From xanthan gum and polyacrylamides, entangled polyelectrolyte rheology can be altered using concentration and salt.