4 research outputs found
Structure and Rheology of the Defect-gel States of Pure and Particle-dispersed Lyotropic Lamellar Phases
We present important new results from light-microscopy and rheometry on a
moderately concentrated lyotropic smectic, with and without particulate
additives. Shear-treatment aligns the phase rapidly, except for a striking
network of oily-streak defects, which anneals out much more slowly. If
spherical particles several microns in diameter are dispersed in the lamellar
medium, part of the defect network persists under shear-treatment, its nodes
anchored on the particles. The sample as prepared has substantial storage and
loss moduli, both of which decrease steadily under shear-treatment. Adding
particles enhances the moduli and retards their decay under shear. The data for
the frequency-dependent storage modulus after various durations of
shear-treatment can be scaled to collapse onto a single curve. The elasticity
and dissipation in these samples thus arises mainly from the defect network,
not directly from the smectic elasticity and hydrodynamics.Comment: 19 pages inclusive of 12 PostScript figures, uses revtex, psfrag and
epsfig. Revised version, accepted for publication in Euro. Phys. J. B, with
improved images of defect structure and theoretical estimates of network
elasticity and scalin