research papers
The development of a dedicated small-angle X-ray scattering setup for the investigation of complex fluids at different controlled shear conditions is reported. The setup utilizes a microfluidics chip with a narrowing channel. As a consequence, a shear gradient is generated within the channel and the effect of shear rate on structure and interactions is mapped spatially. In a first experiment small-angle X-ray scattering is utilized to investigate highly concentrated protein solutions up to a shear rate of 300000 s-1. These data demonstrate that equilibrium clusters of lysozyme are destabilized at high shear rates.
Keywords: shear; complex solutions; small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS); microfluidics; lysozyme; aggregation; rheology; protein interaction; beamline setup.
Supporting information
Portable Document Format (PDF) file https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577515024856/ve5045sup1.pdf |