27/04/2026
🔬 Oscillatory Rheometry: An Essential Tool for Eco-Friendly Innovation
The development of sustainable materials is not limited to the use of renewable resources; it requires a deep understanding of the structure-function relationships of matter to optimize processes and reduce the energy footprint. Thanks to the support of Anton Paar and LED Laboratoire Equipement Distribution companies, who loaned us a precision rheometer for the organization of the International Workshop TRHEOS 2026, Rheology & Sustainable Development, at INSAT - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie on April 10 and 11, 2026, our research and training efforts have reached a decisive milestone in the characterization of complex and biobased systems.
The dynamic analysis provided by the rheometer allows us to probe the molecular architecture without disrupting the sample, by monitoring the balance between two fundamental viscoelastic properties:
☑️ The storage or elastic modulus G′: it represents the energy stored elastically by the material, reflecting its solid behavior.
☑️ The loss or viscous modulus G′′: it measures the energy dissipated by viscous friction, reflecting the sample’s liquid behavior.
Monitoring the evolution of G′ and G′′ as a function of time, temperature, or frequency is a powerful diagnostic tool for understanding structural changes:
❎ Sol-gel transitions: by precisely identifying the gelation point, where the three-dimensional network forms.
❎ Formulation stability: by predicting the behavior of emulsions and suspensions.
❎ Crosslinking kinetics: by monitoring the structuring of materials in real time.
❎ Textural properties: by correlating mechanical response with sensory perception or industrial performance (spreading, extrusion, pumping, etc.).
Mastering these concepts is crucial for innovation in sectors such as sustainable materials, cosmetics and food industries, civil engineering, and plastics processing. Monitoring structural transitions makes it possible to:
1️⃣ Recycle organic waste: transform natural byproducts into high-value-added materials.
2️⃣ Optimize processes: reduce energy consumption during pumping or extrusion by fully understanding the viscoelastic behavior.
3️⃣ Replace petroleum-based materials: adjust the viscoelastic properties of biopolymers to match, or even exceed, the performance of conventional materials.
⌛ By using the rheometer, researchers and industrialists can develop new products, with targeted performance, while complying with sustainability requirements, which will benefit the scientific community and society.
🚀 A huge thank you to and and their teams for their commitment to academic research and green transition. Together, we’re putting rheology in service of the planet 🌍🌱
