Mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann modeling of soft-glassy systems: theory and simulations

A multi-component lattice Boltzmann model recently introduced (R. Benzi et al. Phys. Rev. Lett 102, 026002 (2009)) to describe some dynamical behaviors of soft-flowing materials is theoretically analyzed. Equilibrium and transport properties are derived within the framework of a continuum free-energy formulation, and checked against numerical simulations. Due to the competition between short-range inter-species repulsion and mid-range intra-species attraction, the model is shown to give rise to a very rich configurational dynamics of the density field, exhibiting numerous features of soft-flowing materials, such as long-time relaxation due to caging effects, enhanced viscosity and structural arrest, ageing under moderate shear and shear-thinning flow above a critical shear threshold.