Abstract
We present a comprehensive review of the cur- rent state of fracture phenomena in transient networks, a wide class of viscoelastic fluids. We will first define what is a fracture in a complex fluid and recall the main structural and rheological properties of transient networks. Secondly, we review experimental reports on fractures of transient networks in several configurations: shear-induced fractures, fractures in Hele-Shaw cells, and fracture in extensional geometries (filament-stretching rheometry and pendant drop experiments), including fracture propaga- tion. The tentative extension of the concepts of brittleness and ductility to the fracture mechanisms in transient net- works is also discussed. Finally, the different and appar- ently contradictory theoretical approaches developed to interpret fracture nucleation will be addressed and con- fronted to experimental results. Rationalized criteria to dis- criminate the relevance of these different models will be proposed.