POLYMER RHEOLOGY
&
POLYMER MORPHOLOGY
ZAFIFAH BINTI ZAMRUD, PHD
FTKK UNIMAP
Course Outcome & Content
Introduction of polymer rheology,
stress and strain, ideal elastic solid,
CO2 : Ability to analyze the ideal or Newtonian fluid, non-
characteristics, properties and Newtonian fluid, viscosity as a
morphology of polymers. function of molecular weight,
development of crystallinity and
mechanism of crystallization.
Lecture Outline
Rheology
Stress and strain
Week 7
Ideal elastic solid, Ideal / Newtonian fluid, and Non-Newtonian
fluid
Week 8
Viscosity as a function of molecular weight
Development of crystallinity
Mechanism of crystallization
Ideal elastic solid, Ideal (Newtonian) fluid, Non-
Newtonian fluid
Newtonian fluids are fluids having a
constant viscosity and a zero shear
rate at zero shear stress. That means;
the shear rate is directly proportional
to shear stress. In other words, the
ratio of the shear stress to the shear
rate is constant throughout the fluid.
Non-Newtonian fluids are the fluids
that have a variable viscosity and a
variable relationship with shear
stress. It is because these fluids do
not follow Newton’s law of viscosity.
The viscosity of these fluids can
change under force.
Properties of Fluids
Density Viscosity
Temperature Pressure
Viscosity as a function of
Molecular Weight
• Viscosity "thickness" of different liquids.
• Examples: honey is more viscous than water; motor oil is more viscous
than gasoline.
• mean that water is much easier to stir or to pour than honey. The
honey moves more slowly.
• It resists the movement of the spoon when we stir it.
• Viscosity is often described in very general terms as "resistance to
flow".
• The honey doesn't flow very easily, especially compared to something
like water.
• The honey molecules are much larger than the water molecules, so
they experience a lot more drag as they move through the solution
compared to just plain water.
Strong intermolecular attraction
affects viscosity. As these
molecules move past each other
Viscosity for non-Newtonian fluids
in the very concentrated solution,
they cling to each other, slowing
down the flow of the liquid.
Sugar molecules in the water are much larger than the
water molecules, so they experience a lot more drag as
they move through the solution compared to just plain
water.
• A High molecular weight increases how far the
material can stretch before rupturing. The
higher degree of entanglement allows the
material to be pulled further before the chains
break.
• A High molecular weight increases the impact
resistance of the material. The higher degree of
entanglement means that in order to rupture,
more polymer bonds need to be broken, this
means that the polymer can absorb more
energy before failing.
• A High molecular weight increases the
chemical resistance - to a point. It takes more
damage to the main chains of the molecules
before it will affect the strength of the material.
• A High molecular weight increases the
viscosity of the material – makes it harder to
process the material using conventional
Effects of molecular weight methods. The longer the chains, the harder it is
to get them to flow because they are more
on selected properties.
tangled.1
Viscosity Measuring Equipment
Viscosity is not only important for consistent product
quality and consumer expectations but is also important
for understanding how fluids will behave when pumped
and mixed during production.
A Bostwick consistometer measures
the distance a fluid travels over a set
period of time.
The Brookfield Dial
Reading Viscometer measures fluid
viscosity at given shear rates.
What Influences Viscosity?
Temperature increase Pressure increase
viscosity decrease viscosity increase
Polymer Concentration
Shear rate decrease
increase viscosity
viscosity increase
increase
Thixotropic and Rheopectic
Some liquids behave differently with
stress (application of force) over time.
Rheopectic liquids increase in viscosity
as stress over time increases.
Thixotropic liquids decrease in viscosity
as stress over time increases.
Shear thinning and shear
thickening liquids
Some liquids behave differently when
stress is applied (application of force).
Shear thickening liquids (dilatant)
increase in viscosity as stress
increases.
Shear thinning liquids (pseudoplastic)
decrease in viscosity as stress
increases.
Development of Crystallinity
Polymer Crystallinity
Mechanisms of
Crystallization
• Crystallization refers to the
formation of solid crystals
from a homogeneous
solution. It is essentially a
solid-liquid separation
technique and a very
important one at that.
• Spontaneous arrangement of
the particle into a repetitive
order.
• Crystallization involves
adsorption of solutes at
growing crystal surfaces or
planes.
Supersaturation
• State in which the liquid (solvent) contains more dissolved solids
(solute) than can ordinarily be accommodated at that
temperature.
• It can be achieved by the following methods:
• A) evaporation of solvent from the solution
• Cooling of the solution
• Formation of new solute molecule as a result of chemical
reaction
• Addition of a substance, which is more soluble in solvent than
the solid to be crystallized.
• This is an unstable state.
• From this supersaturates solution the excess compound may be
precipitated out or crystallize.
Nucleation
• Simply defined, it's the growth of a new crystal.
• Molecules gather in clusters in a defined manner.
• Clusters need to be stable under current experimental conditions
to reach the “critical cluster size” or they will redissolve.
• It is this point in the crystallization process that defines the
crystal structure.
Crystal Growth
• Nuclei that have successfully achieved the “critical cluster size”
begin to increase in size.
• Crystal growth is a dynamic process, with atoms precipitating
from solution and becoming redissolved.
