Imaging structural transitions of a non-Newtonian fluid using time-resolved X-ray diffraction computed tomography

Non-Newtonian fluids change viscosity under the application of stress, and understanding the properties and phase transitions of these fluids are important to create models of their flow behaviour in porous media. Certain non-Newtonian fluids crystallize in the absence of stress, and behave like an approximate Bingham fluid. When sufficient stress is applied, the viscosity drops significantly so that the material flows like a fluid with minimal shear forces. The spatial dynamic behaviour of these complex fluids in complicated geometries is surprisingly unknown. Here, we propose time-resolved X-ray diffraction computed tomography to spatially and chemically map the interplay between flow regimes, crystallization, and the local geometrical constraints on complex fluids in several distinct sample environments, to better understand the physical behaviour of complex fluids flowing in complex porous media.