Quartz crystal microbalance as a device to measure the yield stress of colloidal suspensions

Botha, Johannes A.;Ding, Wei;Hunter, Timothy N.;Biggs, Simon;Mackay, Graham A.;Cowley, Robin;Woodbury, Simon E.;Harbottle, David

Simon Biggs

Abstract

The application of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) as a device to measure the rheology of colloidal suspensions has been studied. Using a commercial dip-probe QCM, the yield stress of magnesium hydroxide suspensions has been correlated to the resonance properties of a 5 MHz AT-cut quartz sensor. A stable resonance baseline was first established in air before submerging the sensor into the colloidal suspension. The response of the sensor resistance was shown to correlate to changes in the suspension yield stress, while the frequency response was found to result from more complex contact mechanics and suspension viscoelasticity contributions. Since the QCM is a relatively simple technique with no mechanically moving parts, this approach offers the potential for rapid in situ rheology assessment.

Journal

Colloids and Surfaces A: physicochemical and engineering aspects

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546

ISBN/ISSN

1873-4359

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Publisher

Elsevier

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DOI

10.1016/j.colsurfa.2018.03.005