title: Attractive colloidal rods in shear flow.
abstract: The effect of shear flow on the isotropic-nematic phase transition of attractive colloidal rods is investigated by a combination of simulations and experiments. The isotropic phase aligns with the flow, while the nematic phase undergoes a collective rotational motion which frustrates the merging of the coexisting regions. The location of binodals, spinodals, and the tumbling-to-aligning transition line in the shear-rate versus concentration plane are investigated. The phase diagrams in the shear-concentration plane for the various strengths of attractions can be mapped onto a master curve by appropriate scaling.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany. m.ripoll@fz-juelich.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ripoll
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holmqvist
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gompper
authors.forename: J K G
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Dhont
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lettinga