LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURES UNDER SHEAR

SANS in conjunction with steady state shear flow provides a unique method for relating changes of the microscopic structure of polymeric and colloidal systems to their macroscopic bulk behaviour. Formation of shear-induced particle structures and aggregation of rheologically well-characterized polymer and colloidal dispersions have been investigated by nonequilibrium SANS experiments under Couette- and Poiseuille flow geometry at ILL's D11. The modification of the ILL Couette type shear apparatus by installation of a torque transducer allows an interesting extension of shear experiments for directly interfacing structural properties with the rheological behaviour of flowing colloidal or polymeric fluids: viscosity and scattering intensity can be measured simultaneously and with the same apparatus.