Rheology and dielectric spectroscopy measurement systems

An apparatus for performing electrical and rheology measurements of a material sample, comprising:

• a first plate;
• a second plate;
• a rotatable drive shaft extending from a motor to rotate the first plate relative to the second plate and to induce a torsional force on the first plate;
• and
• a sample gap between the first plate and the second plate, the torsional force applied on the first plate in contact with a material sample at the sample gap;
• the second plate including:
• a first electrode;
• a second electrode;
• and
• a thermally conductive insulator that conductively insulates the first electrode from the second electrode and further conductively insulates the first and second electrodes from the rotatable drive shaft, the first and second electrodes inducing an electric field through the material sample at the sample gap, a conductive surface of the first plate forming a current path from the first electrode through the material sample to the conductive surface of the first plate and from the conductive surface of the first plate through the material sample to the second electrode.

An apparatus for measuring rheological and electrical properties of a sample comprising:

• a first geometry comprising an electrically conductive surface and a rotatable element for rotating the first geometry;
• a second geometry comprising a thermally insulative surface, the first geometry configured to rotate relative to the second geometry;
• and
• a gap between electrically conductive surface of the first geometry and the thermally insulative surface of the second geometry, the second geometry further comprising a first electrode and a second electrode that form an electric field through the gap with the electrically conductive surface of the first geometry in response to application of a voltage applied across the first and second electrodes, the electrically conductive surface of the first geometry forming a current path from the first electrode through the material sample to the conductive surface of the first plate and from the conductive surface of the first plate through the material sample to the second electrode.