Michael Solomon, University of Michigan

Jeffrey Morris, City College of New York

Lynn Walker, Carnegie Mellon University

This symposium will address complex fluids and soft matter – a class of materials that exhibit non-Newtonian rheology because of their underlying microstructure and the interaction of that microstructure with flow.  The strongly strain and strain-rate dependent properties of these materials are important in industries such as consumer products, materials, and pharmaceuticals as well as in natural, environmental, and biological systems.  This session will encompass solutions of polymers, surfactants, proteins and colloids.  Topical areas include gelation, shear thickening, thixotropy, and shear banding as studied by theory, experiment, or simulation.

Keywords:  materials systems, fluid mechanics