Optical Rheology Heating and Cooling System

CSS450

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Features and Benefits

'The Linkam Optical Shearing System (CSS450) allows structural dynamics of complex fluids to be directly observed via standard optical microscope while they are under precisely controlled temperature and various shear modes.
Using the optical shearing cell, it is possible to study the microstructure evolution of complex fluids in great details for many physical processes, e.g. coarsening of binary fluids during their phase separations, flow-induced mixing and demixing of polymer blends, defects dynamics of liquid crystals, aggregation of red blood cells and their deformation in flows etc. We are then in a good position to correlate micro structural dynamics with rheological data for gaining insight into rheology of complex fluids. The images captured by microscope can also be used to validate numerical results from our computer simulations as well as other experimental data from indirect measurements such as by scattering techniques'. (Dr.XF Yuan - King's College London, dept Mech Eng)

The CSS450 uses two highly polished quartz plates that are parallel to within 2um. Each plate is in thermal contact with an independently controlled pure silver heater utilising platinum resistors sensitive to 0.1°C.

The bottom plate, on which the sample is placed, operates in either oscillatory, steady or step shear modes programmed within a motor control spread sheet.

To facilitate various textures or particle sizes in different samples, the gap between the two plates can be precisely set from 5 to 2500um, the speed of this change in gap setting can also be varied.

Recently the CSS450 has been used with X-ray techniques and also with a liquid nitrogen cooling option (Cryo CSS450) further extending the temperature range to -50°C which has enabled work on the effects of shear on ice crystals.

SeeGallery of CSS450 images
courtesy of Dr.Xue-Feng et al,

Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB)

It is important to use a condenser extension lens when using transmitted light microscopy with the CSS450 optical shearing cell. See Optical Accessories

Dowload Product Data for CSS450

CSS450 Specifications
• Temperature range ambient to 450°C (-50 to 450°C on Cryo CSS450)
• Computer control using Linksys 32
• Sample area 30mm Ø
• Micro-stepped stepper motor allows 25,000 steps per rev.
• Gap setting between 5 and 2500 µm
• Three modes of operation: oscillatory, step & steady
• 100 Ohm platinum resistor. 1/10th din
• Removable lid for easy sample loading & cleaning
• Fixes to most microscopes using stage clamps
• Temperature rates of between 0.01°C to 30°C/min
• Silver heating blocks for high thermal conductivity
• Observation radius 7.5mm Ø, viewing area 2.5mm Ø
• Sample mounted on quartz window
• Temperature stability +/-0.2°C
• Designed for use with the Linksys 32 AV and DV video capture system
• Velocity, amplitude & frequency easily changed during run
• Data can be saved to spreadsheet
• Changeable speed of gap setting
• Suitable for phase contrast, transmitted and polarized light
• Objective lens minimum working distance 7.4mm
• Condenser lens minimum working distance 15mm

The CSS450 optical shearing system includes:

CSS450 optical shearing stage

CSS450 motor/temperature controller

CSS-LNP94/2 (If cooling option is specified)

Stage clamps (must specify microscope model or imaging equipment to be used)

Linksys 32 temperature/motor control software

Spare quartz base and lid windows

Relevant tools for replacing windows