Attractive colloidal rods in shear flow.
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.
Ripoll
M
M
Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany. m.ripoll@fz-juelich.de
Holmqvist
P
P
Winkler
R G
RG
Gompper
G
G
Dhont
J K G
JK
Lettinga
M P
MP