Non-Maxwellian viscoelastic stress relaxations in soft matter

TL;DR

This paper discusses the complex, non-Maxwellian stress relaxation behaviors observed in soft matter systems like colloids and gels, highlighting models beyond classical Maxwell theory to better understand their viscoelastic properties.

Contribution

It introduces the physics behind non-Maxwellian stress relaxation in soft materials and provides modeling tools to better capture their complex relaxation dynamics.

Findings

Non-Maxwellian relaxation observed in various soft matter systems

Different models can better describe complex relaxation behaviors

Provides a practical toolkit for understanding soft material mechanics

Abstract

Viscoelastic stress relaxation is a basic characteristic of soft matter systems such as colloids, gels, and biological networks. Although the Maxwell model of linear viscoelasticity provides a classical description of stress relaxation, the Maxwell model is often not sufficient for capturing the complex relaxation dynamics of soft matter. In this Tutorial, we introduce and dis-cuss the physics of non-Maxwellian linear stress relaxation as observed in soft materials, the ascribed origins of this effect in different systems, and appropriate models that can be used to capture this relaxation behavior. We provide a basic toolkit that can assist the understanding and modeling of the mechanical relaxation of soft materials for diverse applications.