Surface roughness

Physics

Geology

Nanotechnology

Rheology

Fade

Surface finish

Operating system

Oceanography

Engineering

Composite material

Tribology

Materials science

Slip (aerodynamics)

Interlocking

Particle (ecology)

Computer science

Dilatant

Mechanical engineering

Shear (geology)

Thermodynamics

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Surface roughness affects many properties of colloids, from depletion [1] and capillary interactions [2], to their dispersibility [3] and use as emulsion stabilizers [4]. It also impacts particle-particle frictional contacts, which have recently emerged as being responsible for the discontinuous shear thickening (DST) of dense suspensions [5-17]. Tribological properties of these contacts have been rarely experimentally accessed [6, 15, 17, 18], especially for non-spherical particles. Here, we systematically tackle the effect of nanoscale surface roughness by producing a library of all-silica, raspberry-like colloids [19] and linking their rheology to their tribology. Rougher surfaces lead to a significant anticipation of DST onset, both in terms of shear rate and solid loading. Strikingly, they also eliminate continuous thickening. DST is here due to the interlocking of asperities, which we have identified as "stick-slip" frictional contacts by measuring the sliding of the same particles via lateral force microscopy (LFM). Direct measurements of particle-particle friction therefore highlight the value of an engineering-tribology approach to tuning the thickening of suspensions.

Roughness-dependent tribology effects on discontinuous shear thickening