A GENERIC MATRIX REPRESENTATION OF CONFIGURATION TENSOR RHEOLOGICAL MODELS

A general framework for microrheological modeling is provided and elaborated for the case of configuration tensor models. It is an extension and partial revision of our earlier work on a specific matrix representation for a thermodynamic treatment in microrheological modeling. The extension consists in a more detailed discussion of the fundamentals and some particular aspects of that representation, such as the implications of frame indifference and isotropy and a more complete discussion of its thermodynamic context. The revision has to do with the extension to nonlinear cases. Finally, the application to particular types of rheological models is discussed in some detail.