Rheological properties of aging thermosensitive suspensions.

Aging observed in soft glassy materials inherently affects the rheological properties of these systems and has been described by the soft glassy rheology (SGR) model [S. M. Fielding, J. Rheol. 44, 323 (2000)]. In this paper, we report the measured linear rheological behavior of thermosensitive microgel suspensions and compare it quantitatively with the predictions of the SGR model. The dynamic moduli [G'(omega,t) and G''(omega,t)] obtained from oscillatory measurements are in good agreement with the model. The model also predicts quantitatively the creep compliance J(t - t(w),t(w)), obtained from step stress experiments, for the short time regime [(t - t(w)) < t(w)]. The relative effective temperature X/X(g) obtained from both the oscillatory and the step stress experiments is indeed less than 1 (XX(g) < 1) in agreement with the definition of aging. Moreover, the elasticity of the compressed particles (G(p)) increases with increased compression, i.e., the degree of hindrance and consequently also the bulk elasticity (G' and 1/J) increases with the degree of compression.