Strain heterogeneity in sheared colloids revealed by neutron scattering

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2018 Feb 28;20(9):6050-6054. doi: 10.1039/c7cp07197c.

Abstract

Recent computational and theoretical studies have shown that the deformation of colloidal suspensions under a steady shear is highly heterogeneous at the particle level and demonstrate a critical influence on the macroscopic deformation behavior. Despite its relevance to a wide variety of industrial applications of colloidal suspensions, scattering studies focusing on addressing the heterogeneity of the non-equilibrium colloidal structure are scarce thus far. Here, we report the first experimental result using small-angle neutron scattering. From the evolution of strain heterogeneity, we conclude that the shear-induced deformation transforms from nearly affine behavior at low shear rates, to plastic rearrangements when the shear rate is high.