Mastering Rheology: A Strategic and Practical Guide for Empowering All Users

Abstract

Rheology, the study of flow, plays a vital role in diverse industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food. In this work, we provide a comprehensive introduction to fundamental rheological experiments and offer a strategic approach towards understanding the rheological behavior of any soft condensed material. We emphasize the importance of design of a good rheological experiment, input parameter, and analysis of the obtained output parameter. Through the standard design of the experiment and systematic conduction of rheological experiments, we can estimate a broad range of rheological parameters such as viscosity, modulus, stability, yield stress, and nonlinear behavior of the material. Furthermore, we also discuss methods for detecting and good practices for reducing some of the common experimental errors that may arise. We also present a comprehensive range of advanced rheological characterization techniques that can be pursued to gain deeper insights into the mechanical and structural evolution of soft materials. Through this work, we attempt to make rheology more accessible to researchers from various domains to incorporate rheology into their characterization studies and enable them to confidently navigate rheological studies and contribute to material development.