  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.
