A structural analysis of concentrated, aggregated colloids under flow

Using both instantaneous snapshots and simulation generated scattering data, the steady-state ̄ ow behaviour of a concentrated aggregated colloidal suspension is analysed in terms of its structure factor S(k). We ® nd that in the shear thinning regime, unlike model hard sphere results, S(k) exhibits pre-peaks at small k, which we interpret as indicative of intermediate range order in the shear induced melt. The pre-peak disappears upon the onset of an ordered state of ̄ ow at high shear rates, which, like hard sphere results, exhibit Bragg-like peaks in S(k). These ordered states are associated with the so-called string phases.