A two-dimensional Couette viscometer for Langmuir monolayers

We have developed an apparatus that is capable of simultaneously measuring the viscosity of Langmuir monolayers and visualizing their flow. It consists of a circular trough with a nearly circular elastic barrier that can be rotated to generate two-dimensional Couette flow. The “inner cylinder” is a Teflon knife-edge disk that is hung by a thin wire. The torque on the inner cylinder is determined by measuring the angular displacement of the disk. A stepper motor controls the barrier rotation. Viscosity can be measured in two different ways: by oscillating the torsion pendulum and by generating Couette flow. The dynamic viscosity range of the apparatus is 10−4<η<103 g/s. Typical shear rates range from 10−4 to 101 s−1. A Brewster angle microscope is mounted on the apparatus. This is used to study various properties of the monolayer such as: velocity profiles, domain shape during shear, domain relaxation after shear, and size distribution of domains.