title: Transient filamentous network structure of a colloidal suspension excited by stepwise electric fields.
abstract: Jamming and force networks observed in electrorheological (ER) fluids bear many similarities to those observed in various granular and colloidal systems. We have measured the time evolution (transient stresses) of filamentous networks of colloidal particles in suspensions subjected to continuous tensile strain concomitant with the switching on and off of electric fields. The density of particle chains was found to increase exponentially with the applied tensile strain via a rapid formation of single chains followed by a slower coarsening (aggregation) of the chains. The two processes can be ascribed to the field-induced short-range and long-range interparticle forces, respectively, along with the tensile viscous force.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Travers H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Boxin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGuiggan
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Israelachvili