Mixed surfactant systems with strongly
bound counterions show many
interesting phases such as the random mesh phase consisting of a disordered
array of defects (water-filled nanopores in the bilayers). The present
study addresses the non-equilibrium phase transition of the random
mesh phase under shear to an ordered mesh phase with a high degree
of coherence between nanopores in three dimensions. In situ small-angle
synchrotron X-ray study under different shear stress conditions shows
sharp Bragg peaks in the X-ray diffraction, successfully indexed to
the rhombohedral lattice with R3̅m space group symmetry. The ordered mesh phase shows isomorphic twinning
and buckling at higher shear stress. Our experimental studies bring
out rich non-equilibrium phase transitions in concentrated cationic
surfactant systems with strongly bound counterions hitherto not well
explored and provide motivation for a quantitative understanding.