title: Shape of the isotropic-(para)nematic coexistence curve in sheared nanotube suspensions.
abstract: A geometrical argument is used to account for the exponent of 1/3 describing the isotropic-(para)nematic phase boundary of sheared carbon nanotube dispersions [E. K. Hobbie and D. J. Fry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 036101 (2006)]. Through simplifying assumptions motivated by the effects of concentration and attractive interactions, the behavior is explained by relating the mean strain-induced alignment to the average distance between nanotubes for the scenario of limited anisotropy in non-Brownian suspensions.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA. erik.hobbie@nist.gov
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Hobbie
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D015233:Models, Statistical; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D043942:Nanotubes; D010316:Particle Size; D013314:Stress, Mechanical