Pairwise frictional profile between particles determines discontinuous shear thickening transition in non-colloidal suspensions

Shear thickening characterizes liquid suspensions of particles that reversibly solidify subject to stress. Here, Comtet et al. show that shear thickening occurs at the transition from lubricated contacts to frictional contacts at a single-particle level, which can be linked to the change in macroscopic rheology.