A Phononic Crystal-Based High Frequency Rheometer

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) allows for the measurement of the complex shear modulus of an elastomer. Measurements at frequencies above the frequency range of the device can be reached thanks to the Time-Temperature Equivalence principle. Yet, frequencies higher than a few kHz are not attainable. Here, we propose a method exploiting the physics of bubble phononic crystals to measure the complex shear modulus at frequencies of a few tens of kHz. The idea is to fabricate a phononic crystal by creating a period arrangement of bubbles in the elastomer of interest, here PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS), and to measure its transmission against frequency. Fitting the results with an analytic model provides both the loss and storage moduli. Physically, the shear storage modulus drives the position of the dip observed in transmission while the loss modulus controls the damping, and thus the level of transmission. Using this method, we are able to compare the high-frequency rheological properties of two commercial PDMS and to monitor the ageing process.