A NEW GENERATION OF LIGHT SCATTERING DEVICE WITH REAL TIME DATA ANALYSIS FOR RHEO-OPTICAL MEASUREMENTS

An apparatus for small angle light scattering (SALS) and light transmission measurements under shear was built and tested at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a new development, the polarization direction can be rotated by a liquid crystal polarization rotator (LCPR) with a short response time of about 20 ms. The experiments were controlled and analyzed with a LabVIEW (TM) based code (LabVIEW (TM) 7.1) in real time. Quiescent and flow-induced crystallization experiments on isotactic poly-1-butene (iPB) were conducted to demonstrate the instrument and software capabilities. Software was designed with a modular approach, so that further modules can be added to investigate other systems such as polymer blends, colloidal suspensions, solutions with droplets etc. A replica of the SALS apparatus was custom built for ExxonMobil Research in Clinton NJ.