RheoRaman Module for HAAKE™ MARS Rheometers

Track molecular structures as a function of stress, strain and temperature with the RheoRaman Module for Thermo Scientific™ HAAKE™ MARS™ Rheometers. This module combines rheological measurements – to analyze how a substance behaves under stress or strain – with simultaneous Raman spectroscopy – to help explain why it behaves that way by providing information on the sample's micro-structure.

Running rheological and spectroscopy tests on the same sample simultaneously allows you to correlate the data without any doubt and saves time. A typical application for these combined techniques would be the chemical analysis of polymers. The hyphenated technique would provide insight into molecular changes such as the breaking of bonds, crystallinity, etc. It's useful for temperature-dependent analysis of emulsions as well as gels, pastes and other polymeric material.

The stress-strain response of complex fluids is closely linked to changes in their physical or chemical structure. That means rheological measurements are even more useful when combined with simultaneous measurement of physical or chemical properties affecting flow.

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful noninvasive technique to probe chemical information in many soft matter substances, including emulsions. Such samples are often sensitive to temperature and flow history, so simultaneous measurements are not only faster but help minimize variation and ensure reliable results.

The Rheometer: The HAAKE MARS Rheometer can be coupled with the a Thermo Scientific™ DXR3 Flex Raman Spectrometer for combined rheology and Raman spectroscopy analysis. 

The RheoRaman module for the rheometer allows the combined system to use cone or plate rotors with a diameter up to 60 mm. The module is equipped with integrated temperature control that can be used in a temperature range from -5 °C up to 300 °C. For measurements at elevated temperatures, the upper electrical temperature module TM-EL-H is recommended.

The Raman Spectrometer: The DXR3 Flex Raman Spectrometer is used to collect Raman spectra with an excitation source of a depolarized 532 nm laser with 6 mW laser power at the sample (or 785 nm laser with 100 mW power at the sample).

A 20x ultra long working distance Olympus lens integrated in the RheoRaman module is used to collect the 180 ° Raman back scattering.