Transforming a black art: adding rheometry to the formulation toolkit
Rheology is the science of material flow. It is also a science with a reputation for some fairly daunting mathematics. But look past these first principles and rheology has immediate relevance in formulation which is readily appreciated and easily exploited.
Transforming a black art: adding rheometry to the formulation toolkit
Rheology is the science of material flow and has a reputation for some fairly daunting mathematics. But look past these first principles and rheology has immediate relevance in formulation that is readily appreciated and easily exploited.
It is estimated that, in the UK alone, sales of formulated products amount to some £180 billion per year. From laundry detergents and personal care products to pharmaceuticals and food, formulation adds considerable value by conferring diverse and desirable performance characteristics. Historically, formulation has tended to rely on trial and error, giving it a reputation as something of a 'black art'. Today, the need to objectively evaluate performance, robustly verify quality, and substantiate product claims for increasingly complex formulations, calls for a more scientific approach. Rheology has an important role to play…
