A To Z Challenge: Rheology And Redesigning Your Soap

Rheology is the study of how things flow and change, particularly the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids (fluids that do not obey typical laws of physics), which include foams, plastics, paints, and even everyday substances like the mayonnaise in your fridge. Rheology, following a bit of a mini-theme from the past couple letters of the alphabet, is yet another branch of physics.

A recent development in the field of rheology is a mechanism developed by a team of researchers at the University of Washington which produces the same effect as surfactants but without actual surfactants needing to be added to a substance. (A surfactant is the chemical found in soap that allows the soap to clean out oil and grease in water.) The new technology, called a microfluidics device, shoves molecules through slits one-tenth the width of a human hair which causes the molecules--in this case, water with detergent and salt--to deform and become significantly more viscous, with added elasticity.

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Sources:
http://www.aip.org/tip/INPHFA/vol-10/iss-2/p29.html
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rheology
http://www.ar.ethz.ch/
http://www.malvern.com/labeng/products/iwtm/rheological_properties.htm
(Note: This is a for-profit company website. I'm linking to it because it explains rheology; I cannot speak for the company itself or its products.)
http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/labs/rheology/index.html
http://www.chem.com.au/science/rheology/rheology2/
http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/newsid=29990.php

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What's the strangest substance you can think of? Do you use (or consume) any non-Newtonian fluids?


-----The Golden Eagle