We assess the possibility of shear banding of semidilute rod-like colloidal suspensions under steady shear ow very close to the isotropic-nematic spinodal, using a combination of rheology, small angle neutron scattering, and laser Doppler velocimetry. Model systems are employed which allow for a length and stiffness variation of the particles. The rheological signature reveals that these systems are strongly shear thinning at moderate shear rates. It is shown that the longest and most flexible rods undergo the strongest shear thinning and have the greatest potential to form shear bands. Although we find a small but significant gradient of the orientational order parameter throughout the gap of the shear cell, no shear banding transition is tractable in the region of intermediate shear rates. At very low shear rates, gradient banding and wall slip occur simultaneously, but the shear bands are not stable over time.
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