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Tunable shear thickening in suspensions

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

N.Y.C. Lin
C. Ness
M.E. Cates
J. Sun
Itai Cohen

Abstract

Shear thickening, an increase of viscosity with shear rate, is a ubiquitous phenomenon in suspended materials that has implications for broad technological applications. Controlling this thickening behavior remains a major challenge and has led to empirical strategies ranging from altering the particle surfaces and shape to modifying the solvent properties. However, none of these methods allows for tuning of flow properties during shear itself. Here, we demonstrate that by strategic imposition of a high-frequency and low-amplitude shear perturbation orthogonal to the primary shearing flow, we can largely eradicate shear thickening. The orthogonal shear effectively becomes a regulator for controlling thickening in the suspension, allowing the viscosity to be reduced by up to 2 decades on demand. In a separate setup, we show that such effects can be induced by simply agitating the sample transversely to the primary shear direction. Overall, the ability of in situ manipulation of shear thickening paves a route toward creating materials whose mechanical properties can be controlled.

Date Published

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Volume

113

Issue

39

Number of Pages

10774-10778,

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84989881110&doi=10.1073%2fpnas.1608348113&partnerID=40&md5=11c5f70a3d90b7859af80438d3f1e5ab

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1608348113

Group (Lab)

Itai Cohen Group

Funding Source

1232666
1509308
EP/N025318/1
DMR-1120296
EP/J007404

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