Effect of the Flow Field on the Rheological Behavior of Aqueous Cetyltrimethylammonium p-Toluenesulfonate Solutions

It is well-known that solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate in water exhibit a pronounced shear-thickening phenomenon in a specific concentration range (0.1-0.8%) when they are subjected to simple-shear flows, as a consequence of flow-induced self-assembly of wormlike micelles. This work shows that a strong elongational flow field (opposed-jets flow), applied to the same solutions, does not lead to extension thickening because the extensional flow prevents or destroys micellar association. In flow through a porous medium, a substantial increase in apparent viscosity is observed beyond a critical apparent shear rate, which surpasses increases observed in simple-shear flows. This is explained as the result of a synergistic effect of shear and relatively weak elongation on the solution microstructure.