1
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Divoux T, Agoritsas E, Aime S, Barentin C, Barrat JL, Benzi R, Berthier L, Bi D, Biroli G, Bonn D, Bourrianne P, Bouzid M, Del Gado E, Delanoë-Ayari H, Farain K, Fielding S, Fuchs M, van der Gucht J, Henkes S, Jalaal M, Joshi YM, Lemaître A, Leheny RL, Manneville S, Martens K, Poon WCK, Popović M, Procaccia I, Ramos L, Richards JA, Rogers S, Rossi S, Sbragaglia M, Tarjus G, Toschi F, Trappe V, Vermant J, Wyart M, Zamponi F, Zare D. Ductile-to-brittle transition and yielding in soft amorphous materials: perspectives and open questions. SOFT MATTER 2024. [PMID: 39028363 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01740k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Soft amorphous materials are viscoelastic solids ubiquitously found around us, from clays and cementitious pastes to emulsions and physical gels encountered in food or biomedical engineering. Under an external deformation, these materials undergo a noteworthy transition from a solid to a liquid state that reshapes the material microstructure. This yielding transition was the main theme of a workshop held from January 9 to 13, 2023 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden. The manuscript presented here offers a critical perspective on the subject, synthesizing insights from the various brainstorming sessions and informal discussions that unfolded during this week of vibrant exchange of ideas. The result of these exchanges takes the form of a series of open questions that represent outstanding experimental, numerical, and theoretical challenges to be tackled in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Divoux
- ENSL, CNRS, Laboratoire de physique, F-69342 Lyon, France.
| | - Elisabeth Agoritsas
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics (DQMP), University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Aime
- Molecular, Macromolecular Chemistry, and Materials, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Barentin
- Univ. de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Louis Barrat
- Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Roberto Benzi
- Department of Physics & INFN, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Ludovic Berthier
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Dapeng Bi
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Giulio Biroli
- Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Daniel Bonn
- Soft Matter Group, van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Philippe Bourrianne
- PMMH, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Mehdi Bouzid
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, 3SR, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Emanuela Del Gado
- Georgetown University, Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Hélène Delanoë-Ayari
- Univ. de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Kasra Farain
- Soft Matter Group, van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Fielding
- Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Matthias Fuchs
- Fachbereich Physik, Universität Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jasper van der Gucht
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Silke Henkes
- Lorentz Institute, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Maziyar Jalaal
- Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yogesh M Joshi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anaël Lemaître
- Navier, École des Ponts, Univ Gustave Eiffel, CNRS, Marne-la-Vallée, France
| | - Robert L Leheny
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | | | | | - Wilson C K Poon
- SUPA and the School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Marko Popović
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str.38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Itamar Procaccia
- Dept. of Chemical Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Sino-Europe Complex Science Center, School of Mathematics, North University of China, Shanxi, Taiyuan 030051, China
| | - Laurence Ramos
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - James A Richards
- SUPA and the School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Simon Rogers
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Saverio Rossi
- LPTMC, CNRS-UMR 7600, Sorbonne Université, 4 Pl. Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Mauro Sbragaglia
- Department of Physics & INFN, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Gilles Tarjus
- LPTMC, CNRS-UMR 7600, Sorbonne Université, 4 Pl. Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Federico Toschi
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- CNR-IAC, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Véronique Trappe
- Department of Physics, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 3, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland
| | - Jan Vermant
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir Prelog Weg 5, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu Wyart
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics (DQMP), University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Zamponi
- Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Davoud Zare
- Fonterra Research and Development Centre, Dairy Farm Road, Fitzherbert, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
- Nestlé Institute of Food Sciences, Nestlé Research, Vers Chez les Blancs, Lausanne, Switzerland
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2
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Milani M, Phou T, Prevot G, Ramos L, Cipelletti L. Space-resolved dynamic light scattering within a millimeter-sized drop: From Brownian diffusion to the swelling of hydrogel beads. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:064613. [PMID: 39021030 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.064613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
We present a dynamic light scattering setup to probe, with time and space resolution, the microscopic dynamics of soft matter systems confined within millimeter-sized spherical drops. By using an ad hoc optical layout, we tackle the challenges raised by refraction effects due to the unconventional shape of the samples. We first validate the setup by investigating the dynamics of a suspension of Brownian particles. The dynamics measured at different positions in the drop, and hence different scattering angles, are found to be in excellent agreement with those obtained for the same sample in a conventional light scattering setup. We then demonstrate the setup capabilities by investigating a bead made of a polymer hydrogel undergoing swelling. The gel microscopic dynamics exhibit a space dependence that strongly varies with time elapsed since the beginning of swelling. Initially, the dynamics in the periphery of the bead are much faster than in the core, indicative of nonuniform swelling. As the swelling proceeds, the dynamics slow down and become more spatially homogeneous. By comparing the experimental results to numerical and analytical calculations for the dynamics of a homogeneous, purely elastic sphere undergoing swelling, we establish that the mean square displacement of the gel strands deviates from the affine motion inferred from the macroscopic deformation, evolving from fast diffusivelike dynamics at the onset of swelling to slower, yet supradiffusive, rearrangements at later stages.
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3
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Kamani KM, Rogers SA. Brittle and ductile yielding in soft materials. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2401409121. [PMID: 38776367 PMCID: PMC11145261 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401409121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Many soft materials yield under mechanical loading, but how this transition from solid-like behavior to liquid-like behavior occurs can vary significantly. Understanding the physics of yielding is of great interest for the behavior of biological, environmental, and industrial materials, including those used as inks in additive manufacturing and muds and soils. For some materials, the yielding transition is gradual, while others yield abruptly. We refer to these behaviors as being ductile and brittle. The key rheological signatures of brittle yielding include a stress overshoot in steady-shear-startup tests and a steep increase in the loss modulus during oscillatory amplitude sweeps. In this work, we show how this spectrum of yielding behaviors may be accounted for in a continuum model for yield stress materials by introducing a parameter we call the brittility factor. Physically, an increased brittility decreases the contribution of recoverable deformation to plastic deformation, which impacts the rate at which yielding occurs. The model predictions are successfully compared to results of different rheological protocols from a number of real yield stress fluids with different microstructures, indicating the general applicability of the phenomenon of brittility. Our study shows that the brittility of soft materials plays a critical role in determining the rate of the yielding transition and provides a simple tool for understanding its effects under various loading conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krutarth M. Kamani
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL61801
| | - Simon A. Rogers
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL61801
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4
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Lockwood HA, Agar MH, Fielding SM. Power law creep and delayed failure of gels and fibrous materials under stress. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:2474-2479. [PMID: 38384251 PMCID: PMC10933735 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01608k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Motivated by recent experiments studying the creep and breakup of a protein gel under stress, we introduce a simple mesoscopic model for the irreversible failure of gels and fibrous materials, and demonstrate it to capture much of the phenomenology seen experimentally. This includes a primary creep regime in which the shear rate decreases as a power law over several decades of time, a secondary crossover regime in which the shear rate attains a minimum, and a tertiary regime in which the shear rate increases dramatically up to a finite time singularity, signifying irreversible material failure. The model also captures a linear Monkman-Grant scaling of the failure time with the earlier time at which the shear rate attained its minimum, and a Basquin-like power law scaling of the failure time with imposed stress, as seen experimentally. The model furthermore predicts a slow accumulation of low levels of material damage during primary creep, followed by the growth of fractures leading to sudden material failure, as seen experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry A Lockwood
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Molly H Agar
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Suzanne M Fielding
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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5
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Müller FJ, Isa L, Vermant J. Toughening colloidal gels using rough building blocks. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5309. [PMID: 37652918 PMCID: PMC10471594 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41098-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Colloidal gels, commonly used as mesoporous intermediates or functional materials, suffer from brittleness, often showing small yield strains on the order of 1% or less for gelled colloidal suspensions. The short-range adhesive forces in most such gels are central forces-combined with the smooth morphology of particles, the resistance to yielding and shear-induced restructuring is limited. In this study, we propose an innovative approach to improve colloidal gels by introducing surface roughness to the particles to change the yield strain, giving rise to non-central interactions. To elucidate the effects of particle roughness on gel properties, we prepared thermoreversible gels made from rough or smooth silica particles using a reliable click-like-chemistry-based surface grafting technique. Rheological and optical characterization revealed that rough particle gels exhibit enhanced toughness and self-healing properties. These remarkable properties can be utilized in various applications, such as xerogel fabrication and high-fidelity extrusion 3D-printing, as we demonstrate in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucio Isa
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Vermant
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
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6
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Vinutha HA, Diaz Ruiz FD, Mao X, Chakraborty B, Del Gado E. Stress-stress correlations reveal force chains in gels. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:114104. [PMID: 36948805 DOI: 10.1063/5.0131473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigate the spatial correlations of microscopic stresses in soft particulate gels using 2D and 3D numerical simulations. We use a recently developed theoretical framework predicting the analytical form of stress-stress correlations in amorphous assemblies of athermal grains that acquire rigidity under an external load. These correlations exhibit a pinch-point singularity in Fourier space. This leads to long-range correlations and strong anisotropy in real space, which are at the origin of force-chains in granular solids. Our analysis of the model particulate gels at low particle volume fractions demonstrates that stress-stress correlations in these soft materials have characteristics very similar to those in granular solids and can be used to identify force chains. We show that the stress-stress correlations can distinguish floppy from rigid gel networks and that the intensity patterns reflect changes in shear moduli and network topology, due to the emergence of rigid structures during solidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Vinutha
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Fabiola Doraly Diaz Ruiz
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Xiaoming Mao
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Bulbul Chakraborty
- Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
| | - Emanuela Del Gado
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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7
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Fussell SL, Royall CP, van Duijneveldt JS. Controlling Kinetic Pathways in Demixing Microgel-Micelle Mixtures. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:1010-1018. [PMID: 36621908 PMCID: PMC9878723 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the temperature-dependent phase behavior of mixtures of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgel colloids and a triblock copolymer (PEO-PPO-PEO) surfactant. Usually, gelation in these systems results from an increase in temperature. Here we investigate the role of the heating rate, and surprisingly, we find that this causes the mechanism of aggregation to change from one which is driven by depletion of the microgels by the micelles at low temperatures to the association of the two species at high temperatures. We thus reveal two competing mechanisms for attractions between the microgel particles which can be controlled by changing the heating rate. We use this heating-rate-dependent response of the system to access multiple structures for the same system composition. Samples were found to demix into phases rich and poor in microgel particles at temperatures below 33 °C, under conditions where the microgels particles are partially swollen. Under rapid heating full demixing is bypassed, and gel networks are formed instead. The temperature history of the sample, therefore, allows for kinetic selection between different final structures, which may be metastable.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. L. Fussell
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
- Bristol
Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, University
of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K.
| | - C. P. Royall
- School
of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
- Bristol
Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, University
of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K.
- Gulliver
UMR CNRS 7083, ESPCI Paris, Université
PSL, 75005 Paris, France
- HH
Wills Physics Laboratory, University of
Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, U.K.
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8
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Popović M, de Geus TWJ, Ji W, Rosso A, Wyart M. Scaling Description of Creep Flow in Amorphous Solids. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:208001. [PMID: 36462015 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.208001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Amorphous solids such as coffee foam, toothpaste, or mayonnaise display a transient creep flow when a stress Σ is suddenly imposed. The associated strain rate is commonly found to decay in time as γ[over ˙]∼t^{-ν}, followed either by arrest or by a sudden fluidization. Various empirical laws have been suggested for the creep exponent ν and fluidization time τ_{f} in experimental and numerical studies. Here, we postulate that plastic flow is governed by the difference between Σ and the transient yield stress Σ_{t}(γ) that characterizes the stability of configurations visited by the system at strain γ. Assuming the analyticity of Σ_{t}(γ) allows us to predict ν and asymptotic behaviors of τ_{f} in terms of properties of stationary flows. We test successfully our predictions using elastoplastic models and published experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Popović
- Institute of Physics, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauer Strasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Wencheng Ji
- Institute of Physics, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alberto Rosso
- LPTMS, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
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9
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Cho JH, Bischofberger I. Yield precursor in primary creep of colloidal gels. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:7612-7620. [PMID: 36165999 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00884j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal gels under constant moderate stress flow only after a prolonged solid-like deformation. Predicting the time-dependent yielding of the gels would facilitate control of their mechanical stability and transport, but early detectable signs of such delayed solid-to-fluid transition remain unknown. We show that the shear rate of colloidal gels under constant stress can forecast an eventual yielding during the earliest stage of deformation known as primary creep. The shear rate before failure exhibits a characteristic power-law decrease as a function of time, distinct from the linear viscoelastic response. We model this early-stage behavior as a series of uncorrelated local plastic events that are thermally activated, which illuminates the exponential dependence of the yield time on the applied stress. By revealing underlying viscoplasticity, this precursor to yield in the macroscopic shear rate provides a convenient tool to predict the yielding of a gel well in advance of its actual occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Hyung Cho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Irmgard Bischofberger
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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10
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Martin AJ, Li W, Watts J, Hilmas GE, Leu MC, Huang T. Particle Migration in Large Cross-Section Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Components. Ann Ital Chir 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.10.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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11
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Dong J, Turci F, Jack RL, Faers M, Royall CP. Direct Imaging of Contacts and Forces in Colloidal Gels. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:214907. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0089276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Colloidal dispersions are prized as model systems to understand basic properties of materials, and are central to a wide range of industries from cosmetics to foods to agrichemicals. Among the key developments in using colloids to address challenges in condensed matter is to resolve the particle coordinates in 3D, allowing a level of analysis usually only possible in computer simulation. However in amorphous materials, relating mechanical properties, and failure in particular to microscopic structure remains problematic. Here we address this challenge by studying the contacts and the forces between particles, as well as their positions. To do so, we use a colloidal model system (an emulsion) in which the interparticle forces and local stress can be linked to the microscopic structure. We demonstrate the potential of our method to reveal insights into the failure mechanisms of soft amorphous solids by determining local stress in a colloidal gel. In particular, we identify "force chains" of load--bearing droplets, and local stress anisotropy, and investigate their connection with locally rigid packings of the droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Dong
- University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert L. Jack
- DAMTP, University of Cambridge Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, United Kingdom
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12
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Ju J, Sekimoto K, Cipelletti L, Creton C, Narita T. Heterogeneous nucleation of creases in swelling polymer gels. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:034504. [PMID: 35428111 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.034504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Surface creasing is a common occurrence in gels under strong enough compression. The transition from smooth to creased surface has been well studied in equilibrium conditions and applied to achieve stimuli-responsive properties. Classical predictions of the creased state, assuming the gel is at equilibrium and homogeneous, are generally satisfactory, while the transient behavior in swelling gels is often far from equilibrium and is commonly heterogeneous. The short-time response is essential for materials in dynamic environments, but it remains unreported and largely unknown due to the limited temporal resolution of the techniques used so far. Here, we use spatially resolved multispeckle diffusing wave spectroscopy (MSDWS) with submicrosecond time resolution to measure the spatially dependent swelling and creasing of a constrained poly (vinyl alcohol) chemical gel in borax solutions of varying concentrations. Our high-speed imaging by MSDWS shows that the swelling behavior and mechanical response at the microscopic level can be highly heterogeneous in time and space, and is detectable hundreds of seconds before the corresponding macroscopic creasing transition. This unprecedented visualization of the heterogeneous and time-dependent behavior beyond equilibrium morphological changes unveils the full complexity of the transient material response after exposure to external stimuli and sheds light on the formation mechanism of metastable states in transient processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhu Ju
- Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR 7615, ESPCI Paris, PSL Université, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Ken Sekimoto
- Gulliver, CNRS-UMR7083, ESPCI, 75231 Paris, France
- Matières et Systèmes Complexes, CNRS-UMR7057, Université Paris-Diderot, 75205 Paris, France
| | - Luca Cipelletti
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), University of Montpellier, CNRS, 34095 Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Costantino Creton
- Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR 7615, ESPCI Paris, PSL Université, 75231 Paris, France
- Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Tetsuharu Narita
- Sciences et Ingénierie de la Matière Molle, CNRS UMR 7615, ESPCI Paris, PSL Université, 75231 Paris, France
- Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
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13
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Mikhailovskaya A, Fade J, Crassous J. Probing nonaffine expansion with light scattering. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:055004. [PMID: 34942711 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.055004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In disordered materials under mechanical stress, the induced deformation can deviate from the affine one, even in the elastic regime. The nonaffine contribution was observed and characterized in numerical simulations for various systems and reported experimentally in colloidal gels. However, low amplitude of nonaffinity and its local character makes the experimental study challenging. We present a method based on the phase compensation of the wave scattered from a thermally dilated amorphous material using fine wavelength tuning of the optical probe beam. Using a glass frit as a sample, we ensure complete reversibility of the material deformation, while experimental observations enable us to confirm the occurrence of nonaffinity in the elastic regime. We develop a model for the coupled effect of the thermal expansion or contraction of the material and the dilatation of the incident wavelength, which allows us to estimate the magnitude of the nonaffine displacement and the spatial extent of its correlation domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alesya Mikhailovskaya
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IPR (Institut de Physique de Rennes) - UMR 6251, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Julien Fade
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut FOTON - UMR 6082, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Jérôme Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IPR (Institut de Physique de Rennes) - UMR 6251, F-35000 Rennes, France
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14
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Enhanced microscopic dynamics in mucus gels under a mechanical load in the linear viscoelastic regime. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2103995118. [PMID: 34728565 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103995118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucus is a biological gel covering the surface of several tissues and ensuring key biological functions, including as a protective barrier against dehydration, pathogen penetration, or gastric acids. Mucus biological functioning requires a finely tuned balance between solid-like and fluid-like mechanical response, ensured by reversible bonds between mucins, the glycoproteins that form the gel. In living organisms, mucus is subject to various kinds of mechanical stresses, e.g., due to osmosis, bacterial penetration, coughing, and gastric peristalsis. However, our knowledge of the effects of stress on mucus is still rudimentary and mostly limited to macroscopic rheological measurements, with no insight into the relevant microscopic mechanisms. Here, we run mechanical tests simultaneously to measurements of the microscopic dynamics of pig gastric mucus. Strikingly, we find that a modest shear stress, within the macroscopic rheological linear regime, dramatically enhances mucus reorganization at the microscopic level, as signaled by a transient acceleration of the microscopic dynamics, by up to 2 orders of magnitude. We rationalize these findings by proposing a simple, yet general, model for the dynamics of physical gels under strain and validate its assumptions through numerical simulations of spring networks. These results shed light on the rearrangement dynamics of mucus at the microscopic scale, with potential implications in phenomena ranging from mucus clearance to bacterial and drug penetration.
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15
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Edera P, Brizioli M, Zanchetta G, Petekidis G, Giavazzi F, Cerbino R. Deformation profiles and microscopic dynamics of complex fluids during oscillatory shear experiments. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:8553-8566. [PMID: 34515281 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01068a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Oscillatory shear tests are widely used in rheology to characterize the linear and non-linear mechanical response of complex fluids, including the yielding transition. There is an increasing urge to acquire detailed knowledge of the deformation field that is effectively present across the sample during these tests; at the same time, there is mounting evidence that the macroscopic rheological response depends on the elusive microscopic behavior of the material constituents. Here we employ a strain-controlled shear-cell with transparent walls to visualize and quantify the dynamics of tracers embedded in various cyclically sheared complex fluids, ranging from almost-ideal elastic to yield stress fluids. For each sample, we use image correlation processing to measure the macroscopic deformation field, and echo-differential dynamic microscopy to probe the microscopic irreversible sample dynamics in reciprocal space; finally, we devise a simple scheme to spatially map the rearrangements in the sheared sample, once again without tracking the tracers. For the yield stress sample, we obtain a wave-vector dependent characterization of shear-induced diffusion across the yielding transition, which is accompanied by a three-order-of-magnitude speed-up of the dynamics and by a transition from localized, intermittent rearrangements to a more spatially homogeneous and temporally uniform activity. Our tracking free approach is intrinsically multi-scale, can successfully discriminate between different types of dynamics, and can be automated to minimize user intervention. Applications are many, as it can be translated to other imaging modes, including fluorescence, and can be used with sub-resolution tracers and even without tracers, for samples that provide intrinsic optical contrast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Edera
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Italy.
| | - Matteo Brizioli
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Italy.
| | - Giuliano Zanchetta
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Italy.
| | - George Petekidis
- FORTH/IESL and Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Fabio Giavazzi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Italy.
| | - Roberto Cerbino
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, via F.lli Cervi 93, 20090 Segrate, Italy.
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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16
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Buzzaccaro S, Mollame AF, Piazza R. Relaxation in aging thermoreversible gels: the role of thermal history. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:7623-7627. [PMID: 34382994 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00711d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The fast setting of gels originating from an arrested phase separation leads to solid structures that incorporate a substantial amount of frozen-in stresses. Using a colloidal system made of particles whose interactions can accurately be tuned with temperature and exploiting Photon Correlation Imaging (PCI), an optical correlation technique blending the powers of scattering and imaging, we show that the relaxation of these internal stresses, which occurs through a cascade of microscopic restructuring events, is strongly influenced by the thermal history of the sample. By changing with a temperature jump the interparticle interactions in an already set gel, we specifically show that gels formed by a deep quench within the coexistence region store a lot of residual stress. This stress quickly relaxes when the interparticle attractions are weakened by decreasing temperature. Conversely, the relaxation of stresses accumulated in gels obtained by a shallower quench comes to a halt by a temperature jump that hardens the gel structure. The evidence we collected may provide useful hints about tempering and annealing processes in disordered solids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Buzzaccaro
- Department of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Chemical Engineering (CMIC), Politecnico di Milano, Edificio 6, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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17
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Royall CP, Faers MA, Fussell SL, Hallett JE. Real space analysis of colloidal gels: triumphs, challenges and future directions. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:453002. [PMID: 34034239 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac04cb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal gels constitute an important class of materials found in many contexts and with a wide range of applications. Yet as matter far from equilibrium, gels exhibit a variety of time-dependent behaviours, which can be perplexing, such as an increase in strength prior to catastrophic failure. Remarkably, such complex phenomena are faithfully captured by an extremely simple model-'sticky spheres'. Here we review progress in our understanding of colloidal gels made through the use of real space analysis and particle resolved studies. We consider the challenges of obtaining a suitable experimental system where the refractive index and density of the colloidal particles is matched to that of the solvent. We review work to obtain a particle-level mechanism for rigidity in gels and the evolution of our understanding of time-dependent behaviour, from early-time aggregation to ageing, before considering the response of colloidal gels to deformation and then move on to more complex systems of anisotropic particles and mixtures. Finally we note some more exotic materials with similar properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Patrick Royall
- Gulliver UMR CNRS 7083, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
- HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
- Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1FD, United Kingdom
| | - Malcolm A Faers
- Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Formulation Technology, Alfred Nobel Str. 50, 40789 Monheim, Germany
| | - Sian L Fussell
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
- Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
| | - James E Hallett
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom
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18
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Aime S, Sabato M, Xiao L, Weitz DA. Dynamic Speckle Holography. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:088003. [PMID: 34477437 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.088003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We introduce dynamic speckle holography, a new technique that combines imaging and scattering to measure three-dimensional maps of displacements as small as ten nanometers over several centimeters, greatly extending the capabilities of traditional imaging systems. We attain this sensitivity by imaging speckle patterns of light collected at three scattering angles and measuring the decay in the temporal correlation due to local motion. We use dynamic speckle holography to measure the strain field of a colloidal gel undergoing fracture and establish the surprising role of internal tension in driving the fracture.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Aime
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Molecular, Macromolecular Chemistry, and Materials, ESPCI Paris, CNRS, PSL University, 10 Rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - M Sabato
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - L Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China
| | - D A Weitz
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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19
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Pommella A, Cipelletti L, Ramos L. Role of Normal Stress in the Creep Dynamics and Failure of a Biopolymer Gel. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:268006. [PMID: 33449706 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.268006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the delayed rupture of biopolymer gels under a constant shear load by simultaneous dynamic light scattering and rheology measurements. We unveil the crucial role of normal stresses built up during gelation: All samples that eventually fracture self-weaken during the gelation process, as revealed by a partial relaxation of the normal stress concomitant to a burst of microscopic plastic rearrangements. Upon applying a shear stress, weakened gels exhibit in the creep regime distinctive signatures in their microscopic dynamics, which anticipate macroscopic fracture by up to thousands of seconds. The dynamics in fracturing gels are faster than those of nonfracturing gels and exhibit large spatiotemporal fluctuations. A spatially localized region with significant plasticity eventually nucleates, expands progressively, and finally invades the whole sample, triggering macroscopic failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Pommella
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Luca Cipelletti
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurence Ramos
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), Université Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
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20
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Barlow HJ, Cochran JO, Fielding SM. Ductile and Brittle Yielding in Thermal and Athermal Amorphous Materials. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:168003. [PMID: 33124865 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.168003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We study theoretically the yielding of sheared amorphous materials as a function of increasing levels of initial sample annealing prior to shear, in three widely used constitutive models and three widely studied annealing protocols. In thermal systems we find a gradual progression, with increasing annealing, from smoothly "ductile" yielding, in which the sample remains homogeneous, to abruptly "brittle" yielding, in which it becomes strongly shear banded. This progression arises from an increase with annealing in the size of an overshoot in the underlying stress-strain curve for homogeneous shear, which causes a shear banding instability that becomes more severe with increasing annealing. Ductile and brittle yielding thereby emerge as two limiting cases of a continuum of yielding transitions, from gradual to catastrophic. In contrast, athermal systems with a stress overshoot always show brittle yielding at low shear rates, however small the overshoot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh J Barlow
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - James O Cochran
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne M Fielding
- Department of Physics, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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21
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Ferreiro-Córdova C, Del Gado E, Foffi G, Bouzid M. Multi-component colloidal gels: interplay between structure and mechanical properties. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:4414-4421. [PMID: 32337525 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm02410g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We present a detailed numerical study of multi-component colloidal gels interacting sterically and obtained by arrested phase separation. Under deformation, we found that the interplay between the different intertwined networks is key. Increasing the number of components leads to softer solids that can accommodate progressively larger strains before yielding. The simulations highlight how this is the direct consequence of the purely repulsive interactions between the different components, which end up enhancing the linear response of the material. Our work provides new insight into mechanisms at play for controlling the material properties and opens a road to new design principles for soft composite solids.
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22
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Cipelletti L, Martens K, Ramos L. Microscopic precursors of failure in soft matter. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:82-93. [PMID: 31720666 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01730e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical properties of soft matter are of great importance in countless applications, in addition of being an active field of academic research. Given the relative ease with which soft materials can be deformed, their non-linear behavior is of particular relevance. Large loads eventually result in material failure. In this Perspective article, we discuss recent work aiming at detecting precursors of failure by scrutinizing the microscopic structure and dynamics of soft systems under various conditions of loading. In particular, we show that the microscopic dynamics is a powerful indicator of the ultimate fate of soft materials, capable of unveiling precursors of failure up to thousands of seconds before any macroscopic sign of weakening.
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23
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Benzi R, Divoux T, Barentin C, Manneville S, Sbragaglia M, Toschi F. Unified Theoretical and Experimental View on Transient Shear Banding. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 123:248001. [PMID: 31922825 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.248001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Dense emulsions, colloidal gels, microgels, and foams all display a solidlike behavior at rest characterized by a yield stress, above which the material flows like a liquid. Such a fluidization transition often consists of long-lasting transient flows that involve shear-banded velocity profiles. The characteristic time for full fluidization τ_{f} has been reported to decay as a power law of the shear rate γ[over ˙] and of the shear stress σ with respective exponents α and β. Strikingly, the ratio of these exponents was empirically observed to coincide with the exponent of the Herschel-Bulkley law that describes the steady-state flow behavior of these complex fluids. Here we introduce a continuum model, based on the minimization of a "free energy," that captures quantitatively all the salient features associated with such transient shear banding. More generally, our results provide a unified theoretical framework for describing the yielding transition and the steady-state flow properties of yield stress fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Benzi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" and INFN, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 1-00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Thibaut Divoux
- MultiScale Material Science for Energy and Environment, UMI 3466, CNRS-MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Catherine Barentin
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sébastien Manneville
- MultiScale Material Science for Energy and Environment, UMI 3466, CNRS-MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Univ Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique, F-69342 Lyon, France
| | - Mauro Sbragaglia
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" and INFN, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 1-00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Federico Toschi
- Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, Netherlands
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24
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Alvarado J, Cipelletti L, Koenderink GH. Uncovering the dynamic precursors to motor-driven contraction of active gels. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:8552-8565. [PMID: 31637398 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01172b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Cells and tissues have the remarkable ability to actively generate the forces required to change their shape. This active mechanical behavior is largely mediated by the actin cytoskeleton, a crosslinked network of actin filaments that is contracted by myosin motors. Experiments and active gel theories have established that the length scale over which gel contraction occurs is governed by a balance between molecular motor activity and crosslink density. By contrast, the dynamics that govern the contractile activity of the cytoskeleton remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the microscopic dynamics of reconstituted actin-myosin networks using simultaneous real-space video microscopy and Fourier-space dynamic light scattering. Light scattering reveals different regimes of microscopic dynamics as a function of sample age. We uncover two dynamical precursors that precede macroscopic gel contraction. One is characterized by a progressive acceleration of stress-induced rearrangements, while the other consists of sudden, heterogeneous rearrangements. Intriguingly, our findings suggest a qualitative analogy between self-driven rupture and collapse of active gels and the delayed rupture of passive gels observed in earlier studies of colloidal gels under external loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alvarado
- AMOLF, Living Matter Department, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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25
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Filiberti Z, Piazza R, Buzzaccaro S. Multiscale relaxation in aging colloidal gels: From localized plastic events to system-spanning quakes. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:042607. [PMID: 31770945 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.042607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Relaxation of internal stresses through a cascade of microscopic restructuring events is the hallmark of many materials, ranging from amorphous solids like glasses and gels to geological structures subjected to a persistent external load. By means of photon correlation imaging, a recently developed technique that blends the powers of scattering and imaging, we provide a spatially and temporally resolved survey of the restructuring and aging processes that spontaneously occur in physical gels originating from an arrested phase separation. We show that the temporal dynamics is characterized by an intermittent sequence of spatially localized "microquakes" that eventually lead to global rearrangements occurring at a rate that scales with the gel age. Notably, these dramatic upheavals of the gel structure are heralded by a progressive acceleration of the microscopic gel dynamics that originates from recognizable active spots and then spreads at a large but finite speed through the gel. Within the "slack" phase between two of these "macroquakes," the fluctuations of the degree of temporal correlation obey a non-Gaussian statistics described by a generalized logistic distribution. The evidence we obtained bear consistent analogies with the stress relaxation processes taking place in earthquake sequences and with the intermittent restructuring of plastic crystals at the microscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeno Filiberti
- Department of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Chemical Engineering (CMIC), Politecnico di Milano, Edificio 6, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Roberto Piazza
- Department of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Chemical Engineering (CMIC), Politecnico di Milano, Edificio 6, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Buzzaccaro
- Department of Chemistry, Materials Science, and Chemical Engineering (CMIC), Politecnico di Milano, Edificio 6, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
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26
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Verweij JE, Leermakers FAM, Sprakel J, van der Gucht J. Plasticity in colloidal gel strands. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:6447-6454. [PMID: 31328199 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm00686a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal gels are space-spanning networks of aggregated particles. The mechanical response of colloidal gels is governed, to a large extent, by the properties of the individual gel strands. To study how colloidal gels respond to repeated deformations, we perform Brownian dynamics simulations on single strands of aggregated colloidal particles. While current models assume that gel failure is due to the brittle rupture of gel strands, our simulations show that gel strands undergo large plastic deformations prior to breaking. Rearrangement of particles within the strands leads to plastic lengthening and softening of the strands, which may ultimately lead to strand necking and ductile failure. This failure mechanism occurs irrespective of the thickness and length of the strands and the range and strength of the interaction potential. Rupture of gel strands is more likely for long and thin strands and for a long-ranged interaction potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne E Verweij
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Frans A M Leermakers
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Joris Sprakel
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jasper van der Gucht
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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27
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Michieletto D, Fitzpatrick R, Robertson-Anderson RM. Maximally stiffening composites require maximally coupled rather than maximally entangled polymer species. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:6703-6717. [PMID: 31386738 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01461f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Polymer composites are ideal candidates for next generation biomimetic soft materials because of their exquisite bottom-up designability. However, the richness of behaviours comes at a price: the need for precise and extensive characterisation of material properties over a highly-dimensional parameter space, as well as a quantitative understanding of the physical principles underlying desirable features. Here we couple large-scale Molecular Dynamics simulations with optical tweezers microrheology to characterise the viscoelastic response of DNA-actin composites. We discover that the previously observed non-monotonic stress-stiffening of these composites is robust, yet tunable, in a broad range of the parameter space that spans two orders of magnitude in DNA length. Importantly, we discover that the most pronounced stiffening is achieved when the species are maximally coupled, i.e., have similar number of entanglements, and not when the number of entanglements per DNA chain is largest. We further report novel dynamical oscillations of the microstructure of the composites, alternating between mixed and bundled phases, opening the door to future investigations. The generic nature of our system renders our results applicable to the behaviour of a broad class of polymer composites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Michieletto
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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28
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Brillaux É, Turci F. Dynamical solid-liquid transition through oscillatory shear. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:4371-4379. [PMID: 31086881 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01950a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Starting from an ideal crystalline state, we numerically study a nonequilibrium dynamical order-disorder transition promoted by the application of a periodic shearing protocol at low temperatures in model systems in three dimensions. We observe a discontinuous dynamical transition from an ordered to a disordered steady state. Through the analysis of large-scale simulations, we show that the amorphization mechanism around the discontinuous transition is reminiscent of spinodal decomposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éric Brillaux
- École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 65 Allée d'Italie, 69007 Lyon, France
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29
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Lidon P, Villa L, Manneville S. A mesoscale study of creep in a microgel using the acoustic radiation force. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:2688-2702. [PMID: 30821300 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02294a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We study the motion of a sphere of diameter 330 μm embedded in a Carbopol microgel under the effect of the acoustic radiation pressure exerted by a focused ultrasonic field. The sphere motion within the microgel is tracked using videomicroscopy and compared to conventional creep and recovery measurements performed with a rheometer. We find that under moderate ultrasonic intensities, the sphere creeps as a power law of time with an exponent α ≃ 0.2 that is significantly smaller than the one inferred from global creep measurements below the yield stress of the microgel (α ≃ 0.4). Moreover, the sphere relaxation motion after creep and the global recovery are respectively consistent with these two different exponents. By allowing a rheological characterization at the scale of the sphere with forces of the order of micronewtons, the present experiments pave the way for acoustic "mesorheology" which probes volumes and forces an intermediate between standard macroscopic rheology and classical microrheology. They also open new questions about the effects of the geometry of the deformation field and of the sphere size and surface properties on the creep behaviour of soft materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Lidon
- Univ Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique, F-69342 Lyon, France.
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30
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Cabriolu R, Horbach J, Chaudhuri P, Martens K. Precursors of fluidisation in the creep response of a soft glass. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:415-423. [PMID: 30565639 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01432a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Via extensive numerical simulations, we study the fluidisation process of dense amorphous materials subjected to an external shear stress, using a three-dimensional colloidal glass model. In order to disentangle possible boundary effects from finite size effects in the process of fluidisation, we implement a novel geometry-constrained protocol with periodic boundary conditions. We show that this protocol is well controlled and that the longtime fluidisation dynamics is, to a great extent, independent of the details of the protocol parameters. Our protocol, therefore, provides an ideal tool to investigate the bulk dynamics prior to yielding and to study finite size effects regarding the fluidisation process. Our study reveals the existence of precursors to fluidisation observed as a peak in the strain-rate fluctuations, that allows for a robust definition of a fluidisation time. Although the exponents in the power-law creep dynamics seem not to depend significantly on the system size, we reveal strong finite size effects for the onset of fluidisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaela Cabriolu
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Jürgen Horbach
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India
| | - Pinaki Chaudhuri
- Institut für Theoretische Physik II, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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31
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Aime S, Cipelletti L. Probing shear-induced rearrangements in Fourier space. I. Dynamic light scattering. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:200-212. [PMID: 30519694 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01563e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the microscopic origin of the rheological behavior of soft matter is a long-lasting endeavour. While early efforts concentrated mainly on the relationship between rheology and structure, current research focuses on the role of microscopic dynamics. We present in two companion papers a thorough discussion of how Fourier space-based methods may be coupled to rheology to shed light on the relationship between the microscopic dynamics and the mechanical response of soft systems. In this first companion paper, we report a theoretical, numerical and experimental investigation of dynamic light scattering coupled to rheology. While in ideal solids and simple viscous fluids the displacement field under a shear deformation is purely affine, additional non-affine displacements arise in many situations of great interest, for example in elastically heterogeneous materials or due to plastic rearrangements. We show how affine and non-affine displacements can be separately resolved by dynamic light scattering, and discuss in detail the effect of several non-idealities in typical experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Aime
- L2C, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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Aime S, Cipelletti L. Probing shear-induced rearrangements in Fourier space. II. Differential dynamic microscopy. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:213-226. [PMID: 30512020 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01564c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We discuss in two companion papers how Fourier-space measurements may be coupled to rheological tests in order to elucidate the relationship between mechanical properties and microscopic dynamics in soft matter. In this second companion paper, we focus on Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM) under shear. We highlight the analogies and the differences with dynamic light scattering coupled to rheology, providing a theoretical approach and practical guidelines to separate the contributions to DDM arising from the affine and the non-affine part of the microscopic displacement field. We show that in DDM under shear the coherence of the illuminating source plays a key role, determining the effective sample thickness that is probed. Our theoretical analysis is validated by experiments on 2D samples and 3D gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Aime
- L2C, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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Gimenes GE, Bouchaud E. Flow and fracture near the sol-gel transition of silica nanoparticle suspensions. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:8036-8043. [PMID: 30250954 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01247d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We analyze the evolution of the mechanical response of a colloidal suspension to an external tensile stress, from fracture to flow, as a function of the distance from the sol-gel transition. We cease to observe cracks at a finite distance from the transition. In an intermediate region where the phenomenon is clearly hysteretic, we observe the coexistence of both flow and fracture. Even when cracks are observed, the material in fact flows over a distance that increases in the vicinity of the transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo E Gimenes
- PSL Research University, Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, ESPCI, UMR Gulliver, 8 rue Jean Calvin, 75005 Paris, France.
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