Structure of complex fluids

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This is a proposal to study the structure of complex fluid systems under external constraining conditions of flow and confinement using imaging techniques such as x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy and mechanical property probes such as rheometers and the surface forces apparatus. Flow studies will be conducted primarily under simple shear. Confinement studies will involve fluids simply confined between controllable surfaces both with and without the presence of shear. Materials to be studies include food fats such as milk fat and cocoa butter, and liquid crystals. These studies have a goal of correlating well-studied mechanical properties with their fundamental structural origins which should result in a better understanding of how these important materials are commercially processed.