Time-dependent NMR-velocimetry of a colloidal glass

The time-dependent velocity profiles in a Couette geometry of a soft glass made of colloidal star polymers suspended in squalene is presented. A shear-banded structure, hinted at by conventional rheological methods, is unequivocally confirmed with the local shear-rate of the low shear-rate branch below the measurable threshold. The evolution of the extent of the ‘zero-shear-band’ band is tracked and found to follow a Gompertz-like growth. The effects of altering shear rate, waiting time and temperature on the Gompertz fit parameters are investigated and show, among other relations, that the growth rate of the zero-shear band is proportional to the inverse of the applied shear rate, the time taken to reach unit strain.