A characteristic temperature for the visibility of phase separation in a binary liquid mixture under shear

Abstract

In this work we report a shear-dependent temperature T 0( S) at which the phase separation of critical mixture mo isobutyric acid and water is detected by observation of intense forward-scattered light. We show that T 0( S) is distinct from the shear-dependent critical temperature T c( S). We find that T 0( S) is identical with the crossover temperature T s -( S) that distinguishes the weak- and strong-shear regimes in the coexisting phases and suggest that the formation of concentration domains in the strong-shear regime below T c( S) is suppressed by shear.