Shear-induced displacement of isotropic-nematic spinodals
Year: 2001
Type: article
Abstract: The shear dependent location of the isotropic-nematic spinodals in suspensions of bacteriophage fd is studied by means of time resolved birefringence experiments. The hysteresis in the birefringence on increasing and subsequently decreasing the shear-rate allows the determination of the location of points in the shear-rate vs concentration phase diagram between the isotropic-to-nematic and the nematic-to-isotropic spinodals. Experimental hysteresis curves are interpreted on the basis of an equation of motion for the orientational order parameter tensor, as derived from the N-particle Smoluchowski equation. The spinodals are found to shift to lower concentrations on increasing the shear-rate. Above a critical shear-rate, where shear forces dominate over thermodynamic forces, no spinodal instability could be detected.
Source: The Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI: 10.1063/1.1372510
Authors: T. A. J. Lenstra, Z. Dogic, J. K. G. Dhont
Institutions: Utrecht University, Brandeis University, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2121632723