Ubiquity of domain patterns in sheared viscoelastic fluids

A ubiquitous domain pattern is observed in two-phase viscoelastic fluids falling within the simple paradigm of soft viscoelastic domains suspended in a less viscoelastic fluid under shear flow. Three strikingly different complex fluids exhibit the same shear-induced domain structure, which we relate to the elasticity of the dispersed phase via an approximate Weissenberg number. We suggest a physical mechanism for the formation of this pervasive pattern, independent of the dynamic origin of the elasticity of the suspended phase.