A Unique Rheology / SAXS Combination at DESY / Petra III

Progress in the development of synchrotron radiation sources, x-ray optics and detectors brings new possibilities in x-ray instrumentation. At the P10 beamline of PETRA III, a unique rheology / SAXS setup was successfully integrated and commissioned to gain new insight in the molecular arrangement of complex fluids and soft matter under shear conditions. The setup is based on an inverted Thermo Fisher Haake Mars II rheometer with a horizontal plate/plate or cone/plate geometry, specifically designed to be probed by a vertically deflected synchrotron X-ray beam. The main advantage of this kind of configuration is the unique possibility to scan the molecular arrangement of fluid matter along the shear gradient under a variety of shear conditions. In this way, very well defined experimental conditions can be provided and molecular arrangements that are otherwise inaccessible in plate / plate geometries can be directly examined.