Shear-induced alignment of colloidal particles in the presence of a shear flow

We observed a shear-induced alignment of colloidal particles in a Brownian dynamics simulation carried out in the presence of an oscillating shear flow. As the shear rate is increased for temperatures near the melting point, we first observe shear thinning followed by a transition to a state with two-dimensional order in the plane perpendicular to the flow. In contrast to earlier nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics studies which also found a similar result, no thermostat is needed to keep the system stable. © 1990 The American Physical Society.