Macromolecules, Vol.41, No.7, 2644-2650, 2008
Observations of wall slip and shear banding in an entangled DNA solution
We have. studied nonlinear flow behavior of entangled DNA solutions using particle tracking velocimetry in Couette and cone/plate geometries. At apparent shear rate gamma(app) < 0.1 s(-1), the velocity profile is linear across the gap. Beyond the terminal region with a,p < 40 s(-1), the velocity profile becomes temporarily banded after the stress maximum and shows massive wall slip at long times with little shear banding in the bulk. At gamma(app) > 40 s(-1), the velocity profile progressively curves and becomes banded with a sharp interface after hundreds of strain units. In the steady state, the thickness of high-shear band increases linearly with the apparent shear rate. At gamma(app) = 1000 s(-1), the velocity profile returns to linearity.