Preface

Rheology has emerged as an elegant and versatile tool for connecting the microstructure of soft matter or complex fluids with their mechanical properties. Advanced digital signal processing has made it possible to detect and precisely measure minute changes in the microstructure of complex systems subjected to stress or strain, and together with microscopic imaging, provides deep insight into the interactions between various components in complex systems. These insights are crucial in the design of innovative products catering to the needs of diverse industries, including foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and drilling fluids. This book attempts to provide readers, whether experts or beginners, whether from academia or industry, with a comprehensive and compact overview of advances and recent applications across industries. The chapters in this book are grouped into three sections for easy reference: (1) Structure-Property Relationships; (2) Tribology and Lubrication; and (3) Some Industrial Applications.

Structure-Property Relationships

Chapter 1. Across the world bread making is a large industry that caters to our basic food requirements. The taste of bread depends on the variety and quality of wheat used, other ingredients (enzymes) naturally present or added to the dough and, most importantly, the process of dough making and the final step of baking. The authors demonstrate how the biaxial extensional viscosity of the dough may be correlated with the properties of the bread.

Chapter 2. Cellulose nanocrystals have emerged as an important area of research given their applications in gel-based delivery systems, inks and 3D printing. The authors carefully examine the viscosity (η), complex shear modulus (G') and storage modulus (G") of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions at different loadings and in different electrolytes at various electrolyte concentrations. The findings are correlated with changes in the microstructure of these suspensions, providing valuable insight into the processing of these complex systems to design usable products.

Chapter 3. This chapter examines the mechanical properties of composites of polyvinylchloride, nitrile rubber (SKN-26) and dolomite nanoparticles mixed in different ratios. This work demonstrates that the addition of dolomite nanoparticles as fillers improves quality PVCs to such an extent that they are able to withstand higher stress and deformation than pristine PVCs, making them suitable for use in windows and linoleum.

Chapter 4. Oil drilling and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes are complex, and often various additives are needed to make the oil-rich slurry flowable. This chapter discusses the rheological properties of oil slurries and their adherence to various rheological models.
