Rearrangement zone around a crack tip in a double self-assembled   transient network
  We investigate the nucleation and propagation of cracks in self-assembled viscoelastic fluids, which are made of surfactant micelles reversibly linked by telechelic polymers. The morphology of the micelles can be continuously tuned, from spherical to rod-like to wormlike, thus producing transient double networks when the micelles are sufficiently long and entangled, and transient single networks otherwise. For a single network, we show that cracks nucleate when the sample deformation rate involved is comparable to the relaxation time scale of the network. For a double network, by contrast, significant rearrangements of the micelles occur as a crack nucleates and propagates. We show that birefringence develops at the crack tip over a finite length, $\xi$, which corresponds to the length scale over which micelles alignment occur. We find that $\xi$ is larger for slower cracks, suggesting an increase of ductility. 
Guillaume Foyart, Christian Ligoure, Serge Mora, and Laurence Ramos
cond-mat.soft