Shear Viscosity of claylike colloids in computer simulations and experiments

Dense suspensions of small strongly interacting particles are complex systems that are rarely understood on the microscopic level. We investigate properties of dense suspensions and sediments of small spherical Al2O3 particles in a shear cell by means of a combined molecular-dynamics and stochastic rotation dynamics simulation. We study structuring effects and the dependence of the suspension’s viscosity on the shear rate and shear thinning for systems of varying salt concentration and pH value. To show the agreement of our results with experimental data, the relation between the bulk pH value and surface charge of spherical colloidal particles is modeled by Debye-Hückel theory in conjunction with a 2 pK charge regulation model. © 2006 The American Physical Societ