What is Rheo-NMR ?

Rheo-NMR is the study of Rheology using NMR methods and techniques. Rheo-NMR describes a wide range of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods used to measure the rheological properties of matter.

A Rheo-NMR review in PDF format is available for download

NMR is a discipline that is used across many areas of science, and has applications in physics, chemistry, medicine and biochemistry amongst others. The strength of NMR is that it can not only provide information at the microscopic level via NMR spectroscopy techniques, but also at the macroscopic level by utilising the various NMR imaging methods.

Traditionally rheology is an area of science primarily concerned with measuring the mechanical properties of matter. However, more recently, the focus is on trying to understand the molecular basis for these properties, particularly in materials exhibiting complex behaviour. NMR has proved particularly useful at measuring the microscopic molecular states of these materials and tying the information back to the macroscopic mechnical propeties being investigated.

This combination of NMR and Rheology is known as Rheo-NMR

There are many Research Groups worldwide using Rheo-NMR techniques to study a wide variety of interesting materials such as liquid crystals, polymer melts and solutions, colloidal suspensions and emulsions, biological fluids, food materials and other fluids important in industrial engineering. These materials are known as complex fluids because they posses properties that like both solids and liquids at the same time.