Rheological Properties of Polysaccharide Solutions
Summary
Polysaccharide solutions display a rich array of flow and deformation behaviours that underpin their widespread use as thickeners, stabilisers and gel‐forming agents across food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and oil‐recovery industries. Key determinants of their rheological properties include polymer concentration, molecular weight, chain flexibility and the presence of ions or other biopolymers. Under shear, many polysaccharide solutions exhibit shear‐thinning behaviour, whereby viscosity decreases with increasing shear rate, often well described by models such as the Carreau or Williams–Carreau equations. Oscillatory measurements reveal viscoelastic spectra characterised by a storage modulus (G′) reflecting elastic energy storage and a loss modulus (G″) corresponding to viscous dissipation. Transitions between liquid‐like and gel‐like states, controlled by temperature, pH or ionic strength, arise from network formation via chain entanglement or specific molecular interactions. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for tailoring texture, stability and processability in diverse applications, from gel‐based foods and emulsions to drag‐reducing fluids in enhanced oil recovery.
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Rheological Properties of Polysaccharide Solutions publication trend
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Technical terms
Shear rate: The rate at which adjacent layers of fluid move relative to each other, usually expressed in s⁻¹.
Viscosity: A measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow under applied shear stress.
Shear‐thinning: A non-Newtonian behaviour where viscosity decreases with increasing shear rate.
Storage modulus (G′): Quantifies the elastic (energy-storing) component in an oscillatory rheology test.
Loss modulus (G″): Quantifies the viscous (energy-dissipating) component in an oscillatory rheology test.
Zero-shear viscosity: The limiting viscosity of a fluid at very low shear rates, reflecting its intrinsic resistance to flow.
Intrinsic viscosity: A measure of a polymer’s contribution to solution viscosity, related to its hydrodynamic volume.
Sol–gel transition: The process by which a polymer solution transforms into a networked gel, often triggered by temperature, pH or ionic changes.
References
- Effect of the xanthan gum on the rheological properties of alginate hydrogels. Food Hydrocolloids (2023).
- Salt and Temperature Effects on Xanthan Gum Polysaccharide in Aqueous Solutions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Rheological Properties and Kinetics of Gelation of Binary Polymers between Xanthan Gum and Locust Bean Gum. Polymers (2023).
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