This study investigated the rheological properties of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions in carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) polymer solutions by studying steady shear viscosities, linear viscoelastic behaviors, applicability of the Cox–Merz rule, and time-dependent behavior. The rheological measurement showed that interactions between CNC and CMC resulted in liquid crystalline domains and a substantial increase in viscosity, shear-thinning, elasticity, and thixotropy. Depletion flocculation formed a percolated structure of liquid crystalline domains, resulting in a gel-like structure, which was evidenced by polarized optical microscopy. The strong effects on rheological properties by mixing small quantities of CMC and CNC suggest that this system may find applications where tunable rheological properties of aqueous polymeric systems are desirable.

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中文翻译：

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羧甲基纤维素和纤维素纳米晶水分散体的流变行为

本研究通过研究稳态剪切粘度、线性粘弹性行为、Cox-Merz 规则的适用性和时间相关行为，研究了纤维素纳米晶 (CNC) 悬浮液在羧甲基纤维素 (CMC) 聚合物溶液中的流变特性。流变测量表明，CNC 和 CMC 之间的相互作用导致液晶域和粘度、剪切稀化、弹性和触变性的显着增加。耗尽絮凝形成液晶域的渗滤结构，导致凝胶状结构，偏振光学显微镜证实了这一点。

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