(61e) Rheological Properties of Aspherical Particle Networks

Materials such as silk and graphene composites, hydrogels, oleogels, etc., exhibit high load-bearing capabilities at low solid concentrations. Their high load-bearing capability at low solid concentrations is due to particle asphericity, which allows the packing to have a higher number of contacts per particle than their spherical particle packing counterparts. The interparticle interactions of these particles can be modelled by the JKR interactions, which are attractive for small particle deformation (surface adhesion) and repulsive for larger deformations.

We have developed a discrete element Method-based simulation tool that allows one to create a packing of aspherical particles that mimic the microstructure of the real systems. The behaviour and evolution of the particles in these packings can be studied under various external stimuli, such as compression and shear, which enable the prediction of the elastic properties, such as the compressive and shear moduli. This simulation tool can be used to investigate the effect of individual particle properties, interparticle interactions and the effect of the solvent on the elastic properties of the materials, which is otherwise very difficult and cumbersome via experiments. This tool could also be used to predict the possible microstructure and particle properties, allowing one to tailor the materials per the elastic properties' requirements and specifications.