Rheology of complex fluids

The macroscopic mechanical behavior of colloidal systems is of vital importance for both basic and applied science. The rheological response of a suspension or polymer solution reflects a complex relationship between the microstructure, interaction forces, and applied deformations. The anisotropy of building blocks introduces more complexity to the rationalization of obtained results, so the question arises if the observations may be explained by the same laws previously applied to more simple systems. On the other hand, the flow behavior of colloidal dispersions is additionally attractive due to its impact on the processing and transportation of products by flow, for example, in pipes. Thus, we are interested in studying the relationship between microstructure and macroscopic properties and their connection to material response to deformation.