Structural transitions in sheared electrically stabilized colloidal crystals

TL;DR

This paper develops a Landau theory to describe how shear induces a structural transition in electrically stabilized colloidal crystals, linking microstructural changes to rheological behavior and matching experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical model for shear-induced structural transitions in colloidal crystals, connecting microstructure, flow behavior, and experimental data.

Findings

Transition occurs at a critical shear stress

Flow curves are shaped by microstructural changes

Qualitative agreement with experiments

Abstract

A Landau theory is presented for the structural transition of electrically stabilized colloidal crystals under shear. The model suggests that a structural transition from an ordered layered colloidal crystal into a disordered structure occurs at a critical shear stress. The shear induced structural transition is related to a change of the rheological properties caused by the variation of the microstructure which can be verified by scattering experiments. The theory is used to establish the shape of the flow curves. A good qualitative agreement with experimental results can be achieved, while a scaling relation similar to the elastic scaling is established.