Effects of shear flow and viscosity difference on phase separation

Abstract

We discuss some salient features recently found in phase-separating fluids under shear. They are highly elongated, bicontinuous domain structures (string phase), hysteresis in the droplet distribution in the off-critical case. existence of the spinodal due to suppression of droplet formation in shear. and critical rheology. We also examine the condition of bicontinuity and the effective viscosity when the two phases have different viscosities.