title: Investigating the temperature dependence of the viscosity of a non-Newtonian fluid within lithographically defined microchannels.
abstract: We present a study of the rheological phenomenology of a non-Newtonian glass former within hybrid microchannels above the vitrification region. We determined the temperature behavior of the viscosity, which is well fitted by a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman law for shear rates between 4 x 10(-2) and 9 x 10(-1) s(-1). The microflow viscosity was compared with previously reported conductivity data of the investigated molecular system. Our findings provide an insight into the coupling between the structural dynamics in the bulk and that within the microchannels, suggesting lithographically defined microfluidic systems as promising tools for the investigation of the rheological properties of complex liquids.
authors.affiliation: NNL, National Nanotechnology Laboratory of CNR-INFM, Università del Salento, c/o Distretto Tecnologico ISUFI, via Arnesano, I-73100 Lecce, Italy. salvatore.girardo@unile.it
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Girardo
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cingolani
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pisignano