Flow-Induced Nematic String Phase in Semidilute Wormlike Micelle Solutions

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Abstract
We present a combination of flow-induced phenomena in a semidilute solution of connected wormlike micelles. These phenomena include a local isotropic-to-nematic transition and a flow-induced string phase. The experimental techniques include small-angle light scattering and 3D flow birefringence and enable a differentiation between contributions of convection, stress, and diffusion to the structural evolution and relaxation. Our results are in qualitative agreement with the two-fluid model of Brochard and De Gennes and the Turner and Cates model of a flow-induced 1D gel phase.